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BJP Will Revive Plan for 'Secured Camps' In Kashmir to Resettle Pandits, Says Ram Madhav
Ram Madhav, BJP national general secretary, said his party was committed to bring back some of the estimated 200,000-300,000 Hindus who fled the Jammu and Kashmir after the armed revolt that began in 1989.
By Reuters
Updated:July 13, 2019, 10:04 AM IST
File photo of BJP leader Ram Madhav.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party will revive a plan to build secured camps to resettle scores of Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, senior leader Ram Madhav said, a proposal that would almost certainly heighten tensions in the restive region.
Madhav, who is the BJP national general secretary responsible for Kashmir, said his party was committed to helping bring back some of the estimated 200,000-300,000 Hindus who fled the Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of an armed revolt that began in 1989.
"Their fundamental rights of returning to the valley have to be respected. At the same time, we have to provide them proper security," Madhav said in an interview, referring to the Kashmiri Pandits.
Nearly 7 million people live in the Kashmir Valley, 97% of them Muslim, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops and armed police deployed. About 50,000 people have been killed in the conflict in the last three decades, according to official figures.
Madhav said that a previous BJP-backed government in Jammu and Kashmir state had considered building either separate or mixed resettlement townships, but had been unable to make headway. "No consensus could be built around any one view," he said.
The construction of segregated enclaves has little or no support from the region's local political parties, Muslim leadership and groups representing the Hindus who fled.
The Home Ministry, which would be involved in any such building activity in Kashmir, did not respond to a request for comment.
A blueprint unveiled by the state government in 2015 had proposed self-contained, heavily guarded colonies for returning Pandits, complete with schools, shopping malls, hospitals and playgrounds.
Separatist groups in the region had opposed the project, with some likening it to Israeli settlements within Palestinian territories.
The plan eventually stalled, particularly after the BJP's alliance with PDP collapsed in June 2018, leading to the state coming under Centre’s direct rule. New state elections are likely before the end of the year.
After State Poll
The BJP is confident that it will win the upcoming state poll, Madhav said, adding that the resettlement plan would be back in play.
"I am sure when we come back to power, we will again take it up and try and see if a solution can be found," he said.
Unlike the last time, the BJP isn't looking to come to power through alliances, Madhav said, freeing itself of major regional parties that represent the region's Muslims.
The issue of Hindu resettlement in Kashmir has long been on the agenda of the BJP, but appears to have received fresh impetus after the party's second successive general election victory in May.
The BJP won 303 out of 542 seats on offer, handing Prime Minister Narendra Modi another five-year term in the Hindu majority nation.
After living side-by-side with Kashmiri Muslims for centuries, Pandits fled for safety after a sharp rise in killings and attacks by Muslim militants when the insurgency flared in 1989.
One of the largest migrations since India's independence from Britain in 1947, many Pandits settled in refugee camps around Jammu. Only around 800 Pandit families now remain in the Kashmir Valley, according to some estimates.
Caged Zone
But there is widespread opposition to any push for separate townships for returning Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, ranging from separatists to Kashmiri Pandit leaders.
Sanjay Tickoo, a Pandit community leader who has continued to live in Kashmir, said the idea of building exclusive settlements with enhanced security was an unrealistic solution that would invite a backlash.
"Is it possible to live in a caged manner, in a caged zone, with security?" he said. "I have to move out of that township, I have to work, I have to earn. I cannot get everything in that township."
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, the unified separatist movement in Kashmir, met some Kashmiri Pandits last month and found that there was a consensus against separate settlements, its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said.
"If you put them in separate colonies, in settlements and under barbed wire, that kills the whole purpose of trying to build, again, a community, which is based on mutual trust and respect," Farooq, also considered the region’s spiritual leader by many Kashmiri Muslims, said in an interview in Srinagar.
Leaders from the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, the two main regional parties in Kashmir, said they supported the return of Hindus but were opposed to separate townships.
BJP Will Revive Plan for 'Secured Camps' In Kashmir to Resettle Pandits, Says Ram Madhav
Ram Madhav, BJP national general secretary, said his party was committed to bring back some of the estimated 200,000-300,000 Hindus who fled the Jammu and Kashmir after the armed revolt that began in 1989.
By Reuters
Updated:July 13, 2019, 10:04 AM IST
File photo of BJP leader Ram Madhav.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party will revive a plan to build secured camps to resettle scores of Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, senior leader Ram Madhav said, a proposal that would almost certainly heighten tensions in the restive region.
Madhav, who is the BJP national general secretary responsible for Kashmir, said his party was committed to helping bring back some of the estimated 200,000-300,000 Hindus who fled the Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of an armed revolt that began in 1989.
"Their fundamental rights of returning to the valley have to be respected. At the same time, we have to provide them proper security," Madhav said in an interview, referring to the Kashmiri Pandits.
Nearly 7 million people live in the Kashmir Valley, 97% of them Muslim, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops and armed police deployed. About 50,000 people have been killed in the conflict in the last three decades, according to official figures.
Madhav said that a previous BJP-backed government in Jammu and Kashmir state had considered building either separate or mixed resettlement townships, but had been unable to make headway. "No consensus could be built around any one view," he said.
The construction of segregated enclaves has little or no support from the region's local political parties, Muslim leadership and groups representing the Hindus who fled.
The Home Ministry, which would be involved in any such building activity in Kashmir, did not respond to a request for comment.
A blueprint unveiled by the state government in 2015 had proposed self-contained, heavily guarded colonies for returning Pandits, complete with schools, shopping malls, hospitals and playgrounds.
Separatist groups in the region had opposed the project, with some likening it to Israeli settlements within Palestinian territories.
The plan eventually stalled, particularly after the BJP's alliance with PDP collapsed in June 2018, leading to the state coming under Centre’s direct rule. New state elections are likely before the end of the year.
After State Poll
The BJP is confident that it will win the upcoming state poll, Madhav said, adding that the resettlement plan would be back in play.
"I am sure when we come back to power, we will again take it up and try and see if a solution can be found," he said.
Unlike the last time, the BJP isn't looking to come to power through alliances, Madhav said, freeing itself of major regional parties that represent the region's Muslims.
The issue of Hindu resettlement in Kashmir has long been on the agenda of the BJP, but appears to have received fresh impetus after the party's second successive general election victory in May.
The BJP won 303 out of 542 seats on offer, handing Prime Minister Narendra Modi another five-year term in the Hindu majority nation.
After living side-by-side with Kashmiri Muslims for centuries, Pandits fled for safety after a sharp rise in killings and attacks by Muslim militants when the insurgency flared in 1989.
One of the largest migrations since India's independence from Britain in 1947, many Pandits settled in refugee camps around Jammu. Only around 800 Pandit families now remain in the Kashmir Valley, according to some estimates.
Caged Zone
But there is widespread opposition to any push for separate townships for returning Hindus in the Kashmir Valley, ranging from separatists to Kashmiri Pandit leaders.
Sanjay Tickoo, a Pandit community leader who has continued to live in Kashmir, said the idea of building exclusive settlements with enhanced security was an unrealistic solution that would invite a backlash.
"Is it possible to live in a caged manner, in a caged zone, with security?" he said. "I have to move out of that township, I have to work, I have to earn. I cannot get everything in that township."
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, the unified separatist movement in Kashmir, met some Kashmiri Pandits last month and found that there was a consensus against separate settlements, its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said.
"If you put them in separate colonies, in settlements and under barbed wire, that kills the whole purpose of trying to build, again, a community, which is based on mutual trust and respect," Farooq, also considered the region’s spiritual leader by many Kashmiri Muslims, said in an interview in Srinagar.
Leaders from the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, the two main regional parties in Kashmir, said they supported the return of Hindus but were opposed to separate townships.
BJP Will Revive Plan for 'Secured Camps' In Kashmir to Resettle Pandits, Says Ram Madhav
Amit Shah's mission Kashmir banks on newly elected panch, sarpanch for development
New Home Minister Amit Shah has plans to win hearts and minds of common Kashmiris by empowerment of local government, namely the panch and sarpanches of Jammu and Kashmir.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu
New Delhi, July 10, 2019, UPDATED: July 10, 2019 00:21 IST
A crackdown on corruption at lowest level will be kicked-off to ensure empowerment | File photo from PTI
HIGHLIGHTS
Besides security, new Home Minister Amit Shah has plans to win hearts and minds of common Kashmiris by empowerment of local government, namely the panch and sarpanches of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Narendra Modi's second-term government has plans to prioritise acting tough against separatists. Apart from that, the government has an an agenda of zero policy towards terror. The third and most important dimension is "development".
The sources said that the Modi 2.0 government will achieve this through newly elected panch and sarpanch.
Amit Shah's emphasis on empowering the panchayati system was categorical when he met handful of the elected village heads in Srinagar during his maiden visit to Kashmir.
While Amit Shah did not meet mainstream parties, he met the "elected panch" who could carry out governments mission forward.
Government sources said that Rs 700 crore was dispersed to the elected village heads soon after panchayat elections in the state held in last October.
The Centre now intends to further open its purse by providing additional two installments of Rs 1,500 crore each to be given to panchs and sarpanchs.
With a mammoth total budget of Rs 3,700 crore, the Centre's game plan is to provide doorstep governance. A measure to strengthen grass roots democracy despite state being under Governor's rule for over a year now.
Sources told India Today TV that under the 'Gaon Chalo Abhiyan', Class 1 officers will have to visit villages and spend a night there.
"In the first phase, Class 1 officers will work with panchs and sarpanchs and evaluate how to utilise the money pumped in by the Centre. Meanwhile, to ensure a robust system is put in place, the Bharatiya Janata Party workers in state have additionally been asked to be eyes and ears of government and share the status of government schemes in villages," the sources said.
Amit Shah who is known for his meticulous planning has been concerned that money should reach the rightful. So far, the money given by the Centre to state government was not reaching lower levels. A crackdown on corruption at lowest level is also on to ensure empowerment.
Amit Shah's mission Kashmir banks on newly elected panch, sarpanch for development
New Home Minister Amit Shah has plans to win hearts and minds of common Kashmiris by empowerment of local government, namely the panch and sarpanches of Jammu and Kashmir.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu
New Delhi, July 10, 2019, UPDATED: July 10, 2019 00:21 IST
A crackdown on corruption at lowest level will be kicked-off to ensure empowerment | File photo from PTI
HIGHLIGHTS
- Amit Shah wants to emphasise on empowering the panchayati system
- The Centre's game plan is to provide doorstep governance
- A total budget of Rs 3,700 crore has been released by Centre to strengthen grass roots democracy
Besides security, new Home Minister Amit Shah has plans to win hearts and minds of common Kashmiris by empowerment of local government, namely the panch and sarpanches of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Narendra Modi's second-term government has plans to prioritise acting tough against separatists. Apart from that, the government has an an agenda of zero policy towards terror. The third and most important dimension is "development".
The sources said that the Modi 2.0 government will achieve this through newly elected panch and sarpanch.
Amit Shah's emphasis on empowering the panchayati system was categorical when he met handful of the elected village heads in Srinagar during his maiden visit to Kashmir.
While Amit Shah did not meet mainstream parties, he met the "elected panch" who could carry out governments mission forward.
Government sources said that Rs 700 crore was dispersed to the elected village heads soon after panchayat elections in the state held in last October.
The Centre now intends to further open its purse by providing additional two installments of Rs 1,500 crore each to be given to panchs and sarpanchs.
With a mammoth total budget of Rs 3,700 crore, the Centre's game plan is to provide doorstep governance. A measure to strengthen grass roots democracy despite state being under Governor's rule for over a year now.
Sources told India Today TV that under the 'Gaon Chalo Abhiyan', Class 1 officers will have to visit villages and spend a night there.
"In the first phase, Class 1 officers will work with panchs and sarpanchs and evaluate how to utilise the money pumped in by the Centre. Meanwhile, to ensure a robust system is put in place, the Bharatiya Janata Party workers in state have additionally been asked to be eyes and ears of government and share the status of government schemes in villages," the sources said.
Amit Shah who is known for his meticulous planning has been concerned that money should reach the rightful. So far, the money given by the Centre to state government was not reaching lower levels. A crackdown on corruption at lowest level is also on to ensure empowerment.
Amit Shah's mission Kashmir banks on newly elected panch, sarpanch for development
This can be a make or break moment in Jammu and Kashmir, but hardly the time to cut back Indian Army deployment
Published July 11, 2019 | By admin SOURCE: FIRST POST
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reported in Parliament on Tuesday (9 July 2019) that in the first six months of 2019 the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed improvement with terror-related incidents seeing a 28 percent decline; infiltration reduced by 43 percent, local recruitment declined by 40 percent and neutralisation of terrorists increased by 22 percent.
There is no reason to disbelieve data presented to Parliament because manifestation on the ground also points to an improving situation in the state. However, when the security situation improves in Jammu and Kashmir there are far more questions to be asked because this isn’t the first time that such a phenomenon has been witnessed. Many times in the past prospects of peace have been evident, only to see a complete downturn shortly thereafter. The situation in hybrid conflict conditions cannot remain static; either way, it will improve or deteriorate as per the pull and push by stakeholders.
In the past when such situations presented themselves government initiatives were either begging, un-energetic or simply not thought through. This time it could be different because at the helm of affairs is a Minister of Home Affairs who appears to have a far better understanding, has the wherewithal to take initiatives, is politically more powerful than any of his predecessors in recent memory and has great experience in coordination. Amit Shah’s recent visit to Kashmir appeared to give this perception to most keen observers of Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, many were surprised by the optics and the substance of the visit. However, a few facts need to be stated.
Although the government is not projecting that everything has been turned around in Jammu and Kashmir it will need to be mindful of the fact that indicators of absence or reduction of violence do not necessarily indicate normality. In hybrid conflict involving irregular warfare, neutralisation of terrorists addresses only the periphery of the problem. The continuum is provided by four parameters — human resources (includes infiltration of terrorists and recruitment), overground workers or OGWs, ideology, and financial networks which include war waging material.
What the home ministry is reporting to the Parliament is a single parameter; covered by the strength of terrorists, infiltration and recruitment. When there exist all other parameters the feasibility of resurgence remains high. The other truism is that at most times in the past a short period of relative peace in a particular segment has been taken as normality and redeployment of forces has been done to reinforce other relatively more volatile areas. This has invariably upset the equilibrium gained. I mention this because already there is a clamour for reduction of the army’s footprint in the current situation. The flagship organisation which spearheads the campaign must not see a reduction without completing the job it has been deployed for.
Although the home ministry may not have given figures and statistics for the remaining parameters indicated above there is every indication that dedicated efforts quite different from the past are underway or already well emplaced. It may be early to assess how far these have been successful. It is also difficult to judge whether the overall success in combatting and neutralising terrorists has come because of improved strategy and coordination or because of a temporary pullback by Pakistan in its support to the separatist elements and terror organisations. Pakistan is under intense international pressure and the strictures placed by the demands of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) do not give it much leeway. The government must be given the credit for exploiting the available window provided by Pakistan’s back step; such opportunities come fleetingly.
What is lesser known is that the decision to commence addressing the ‘eco-system’ which drives separatism, terrorism and OGW networks probably came two years ago. Before that it was well known to all that Jammu and Kashmir functioned under a nefarious influence of well-placed functionaries, a tardy bureaucracy and a biased anti-national media. Those dealing with security repeatedly pointed this out but in the absence of any cognizance of this, failed to take it further. The disconnect that New Delhi had with ground realities in Jammu and Kashmir did not allow any out of the box thinking or acceptance of ideas.
Two years ago the National Investigation Agency was probably tasked to target the financial networks. In the past before this, the terror-stricken area had seen no control over these networks with money flowing from abroad into separatist coffers even through legitimate channels but utilised for anti-national activities. Probably the NIA’s initial success revealed what the state was up against and we could witness over the next couple of months a much more synchronized and focused effort to neutralise the financial networks. A parallel effort will need to be launched against OGW networks other than those involving finances. The Jammu and Kashmir CID has enough information on these and needs only empowerment and backing to execute its campaign.
Shah’s visit to Kashmir has been able to communicate the government’s clear intent. After a long time sources in Kashmir are saying that the government appears keen to negate the perception that Jammu and Kashmir’s separatist and terror industry has virtual official backing due to apathy and lack of initiative. Many within the local population who at times question the corruption prevalent in the system and the inability of the administration to deliver quality governance now appear enthused. Can this be the make or break moment in Jammu and Kashmir? It can, provided the government does not get over-enthused by the initial success and attempt to drive too hard. Balance is the watchword.
The separatists have been emasculated but not paralysed. Both they and Pakistan would look for ways for re-gingering things to their advantage through triggers. It happened in 2008 when an innocuous direction, involving ecological protection, by the governor for the land under the ownership of the Amarnath Shrine Board was deliberately mis-perceived and manipulated towards triggering a season of disorder. It actually paved the path to three years of paralysis in Jammu and Kashmir.
There are demands from overenthusiastic quarters to immediately abrogate Article 35A and commence the process for removal of Article 370. Nothing could be as disastrous as this and the government has a sense of history and the maturity of appreciating what this could lead to. Its carefully crafted strategy which appears succeeding could come unstuck pushing us back to contesting street turbulence and an eventual constitutional initiative could be pushed back even further.
There is one issue the government appears to be struggling with, although it has identified the threat for quite some time now. That is the obviously enhanced footprint of Islamic radicalism which helps drive greater alienation gives more space to anti-national elements. Due to insufficient understanding of the dynamics of Islamic radicalism, there is hesitation and lack of will. Both have to be overcome if a final and comprehensive push has to be undertaken to neutralise perpetrators of violence, anti-national activity and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir.
This can be a make or break moment in Jammu and Kashmir, but hardly the time to cut back Indian Army deployment – Indian Defence Research Wing
Published July 11, 2019 | By admin SOURCE: FIRST POST
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reported in Parliament on Tuesday (9 July 2019) that in the first six months of 2019 the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed improvement with terror-related incidents seeing a 28 percent decline; infiltration reduced by 43 percent, local recruitment declined by 40 percent and neutralisation of terrorists increased by 22 percent.
There is no reason to disbelieve data presented to Parliament because manifestation on the ground also points to an improving situation in the state. However, when the security situation improves in Jammu and Kashmir there are far more questions to be asked because this isn’t the first time that such a phenomenon has been witnessed. Many times in the past prospects of peace have been evident, only to see a complete downturn shortly thereafter. The situation in hybrid conflict conditions cannot remain static; either way, it will improve or deteriorate as per the pull and push by stakeholders.
In the past when such situations presented themselves government initiatives were either begging, un-energetic or simply not thought through. This time it could be different because at the helm of affairs is a Minister of Home Affairs who appears to have a far better understanding, has the wherewithal to take initiatives, is politically more powerful than any of his predecessors in recent memory and has great experience in coordination. Amit Shah’s recent visit to Kashmir appeared to give this perception to most keen observers of Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, many were surprised by the optics and the substance of the visit. However, a few facts need to be stated.
Although the government is not projecting that everything has been turned around in Jammu and Kashmir it will need to be mindful of the fact that indicators of absence or reduction of violence do not necessarily indicate normality. In hybrid conflict involving irregular warfare, neutralisation of terrorists addresses only the periphery of the problem. The continuum is provided by four parameters — human resources (includes infiltration of terrorists and recruitment), overground workers or OGWs, ideology, and financial networks which include war waging material.
What the home ministry is reporting to the Parliament is a single parameter; covered by the strength of terrorists, infiltration and recruitment. When there exist all other parameters the feasibility of resurgence remains high. The other truism is that at most times in the past a short period of relative peace in a particular segment has been taken as normality and redeployment of forces has been done to reinforce other relatively more volatile areas. This has invariably upset the equilibrium gained. I mention this because already there is a clamour for reduction of the army’s footprint in the current situation. The flagship organisation which spearheads the campaign must not see a reduction without completing the job it has been deployed for.
Although the home ministry may not have given figures and statistics for the remaining parameters indicated above there is every indication that dedicated efforts quite different from the past are underway or already well emplaced. It may be early to assess how far these have been successful. It is also difficult to judge whether the overall success in combatting and neutralising terrorists has come because of improved strategy and coordination or because of a temporary pullback by Pakistan in its support to the separatist elements and terror organisations. Pakistan is under intense international pressure and the strictures placed by the demands of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) do not give it much leeway. The government must be given the credit for exploiting the available window provided by Pakistan’s back step; such opportunities come fleetingly.
What is lesser known is that the decision to commence addressing the ‘eco-system’ which drives separatism, terrorism and OGW networks probably came two years ago. Before that it was well known to all that Jammu and Kashmir functioned under a nefarious influence of well-placed functionaries, a tardy bureaucracy and a biased anti-national media. Those dealing with security repeatedly pointed this out but in the absence of any cognizance of this, failed to take it further. The disconnect that New Delhi had with ground realities in Jammu and Kashmir did not allow any out of the box thinking or acceptance of ideas.
Two years ago the National Investigation Agency was probably tasked to target the financial networks. In the past before this, the terror-stricken area had seen no control over these networks with money flowing from abroad into separatist coffers even through legitimate channels but utilised for anti-national activities. Probably the NIA’s initial success revealed what the state was up against and we could witness over the next couple of months a much more synchronized and focused effort to neutralise the financial networks. A parallel effort will need to be launched against OGW networks other than those involving finances. The Jammu and Kashmir CID has enough information on these and needs only empowerment and backing to execute its campaign.
Shah’s visit to Kashmir has been able to communicate the government’s clear intent. After a long time sources in Kashmir are saying that the government appears keen to negate the perception that Jammu and Kashmir’s separatist and terror industry has virtual official backing due to apathy and lack of initiative. Many within the local population who at times question the corruption prevalent in the system and the inability of the administration to deliver quality governance now appear enthused. Can this be the make or break moment in Jammu and Kashmir? It can, provided the government does not get over-enthused by the initial success and attempt to drive too hard. Balance is the watchword.
The separatists have been emasculated but not paralysed. Both they and Pakistan would look for ways for re-gingering things to their advantage through triggers. It happened in 2008 when an innocuous direction, involving ecological protection, by the governor for the land under the ownership of the Amarnath Shrine Board was deliberately mis-perceived and manipulated towards triggering a season of disorder. It actually paved the path to three years of paralysis in Jammu and Kashmir.
There are demands from overenthusiastic quarters to immediately abrogate Article 35A and commence the process for removal of Article 370. Nothing could be as disastrous as this and the government has a sense of history and the maturity of appreciating what this could lead to. Its carefully crafted strategy which appears succeeding could come unstuck pushing us back to contesting street turbulence and an eventual constitutional initiative could be pushed back even further.
There is one issue the government appears to be struggling with, although it has identified the threat for quite some time now. That is the obviously enhanced footprint of Islamic radicalism which helps drive greater alienation gives more space to anti-national elements. Due to insufficient understanding of the dynamics of Islamic radicalism, there is hesitation and lack of will. Both have to be overcome if a final and comprehensive push has to be undertaken to neutralise perpetrators of violence, anti-national activity and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir.
This can be a make or break moment in Jammu and Kashmir, but hardly the time to cut back Indian Army deployment – Indian Defence Research Wing
Significant drop in stone pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir: Officials
PTI, New Delhi,July 14, 2019 17:02 IST
Updated:July 14, 2019 17:11 IST
Stone pelters in action during clashes in Srinagar. | Photo Credit: NISSAR AHMAD
There were only 40 incidents of stone pelting till June
Stone pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have come down significantly from a high of over 2,600 in 2016 to barely a few dozen in the first half of 2019, officials said on Sunday.
The arrests of miscreants involved in stone pelting incidents also have come down from over 10,500 to just about a hundred.
According to the Home Ministry statistics, there were 2,653 incidents of stone pelting in 2016 for which 10,571 miscreants were arrested by police.
However, among the arrested just 276 were sent to jail and others were let off with warnings.
The killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in 2016 saw a long spell of turmoil in the Kashmir Valley, a Home Ministry official said.
There were 1,412 incidents of stone pelting in 2017 in which 2,838 trouble-makers were arrested and 63 of them were sent to jail.
In 2018, there were 1,458 incidents of stone pelting in which 3,797 miscreants were arrested and 65 of them were sent to jail, as per the statistics.
In the first six months of 2019, there were around 40 incidents of stone pelting in which about a hundred miscreants were detained, the official said.
There has been a marked improvement in the security scenario in the Valley ever since the imposition of Governor’s rule on June 19, 2018, when the BJP withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led government, he added.
After the six months of Governor’s rule, the President’s rule was imposed, which has been continuing.
The security forces eliminated over 240 militants in the state in 2018, while there has been a dip in injuries caused due to stone pelting, another official said.
Significant drop in stone pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir: Officials
PTI, New Delhi,July 14, 2019 17:02 IST
Updated:July 14, 2019 17:11 IST
Stone pelters in action during clashes in Srinagar. | Photo Credit: NISSAR AHMAD
There were only 40 incidents of stone pelting till June
Stone pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have come down significantly from a high of over 2,600 in 2016 to barely a few dozen in the first half of 2019, officials said on Sunday.
The arrests of miscreants involved in stone pelting incidents also have come down from over 10,500 to just about a hundred.
According to the Home Ministry statistics, there were 2,653 incidents of stone pelting in 2016 for which 10,571 miscreants were arrested by police.
However, among the arrested just 276 were sent to jail and others were let off with warnings.
The killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in 2016 saw a long spell of turmoil in the Kashmir Valley, a Home Ministry official said.
There were 1,412 incidents of stone pelting in 2017 in which 2,838 trouble-makers were arrested and 63 of them were sent to jail.
In 2018, there were 1,458 incidents of stone pelting in which 3,797 miscreants were arrested and 65 of them were sent to jail, as per the statistics.
In the first six months of 2019, there were around 40 incidents of stone pelting in which about a hundred miscreants were detained, the official said.
There has been a marked improvement in the security scenario in the Valley ever since the imposition of Governor’s rule on June 19, 2018, when the BJP withdrew support to the Mehbooba Mufti-led government, he added.
After the six months of Governor’s rule, the President’s rule was imposed, which has been continuing.
The security forces eliminated over 240 militants in the state in 2018, while there has been a dip in injuries caused due to stone pelting, another official said.
Significant drop in stone pelting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir: Officials
Halfway home in Kashmir: How Amit Shah has tamed some of the fiercest anti-India voices in the Valley
The Home Minister's Chanakya-neeti on Kashmir seems to be working. At least half the voices in Kashmir, which earlier stoked big trouble, seem to be quietly toeing the line.
POLITICS | 7-minute read | 14-07-2019
By Majid Hyderi Twitter : @majidhyderi
--------------------
For someone acclaimed as Bharatiya Janta Party’s ‘Chanakya’, who drove the party to a historic landslide victory in the 2019 Parliament elections, getting the crucial assignment to head the Home Ministry was supposed to be the next big challenge.
But for Amit Shah, his Chanakya-neeti as the country’s Home Minister seems to have worked out even better.
If well-begun is half-done, Shah looks already halfway through — at least with regard to how politics in Kashmir has changed since the day he assumed office on June 1, 2019.
Speaking Softly. And?: The enigmatic strategy of the BJP's Chanakya seems to be working even better in Kashmir.(Photo: Reuters)
From mainstream to separatist camps, some of the most vociferous faces have transformed.
The winds of change started blowing from the historic Jamia Masjid, Nowhatta in Srinagar — otherwise seen as the hotbed of the “Azadi” sentiment. Addressing devotees from the mosque's pulpit, Kashmir’s head parson and senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, now dedicates his Friday sermons mainly to social and environmental issues.
On June 15, 2019, addressing the Jamia gathering, the Mirwaiz, who heads the Hurriyat(M), highlighted how people and government were responsible for frequent threats of flooding in Kashmir. The next Friday, he dedicated his weekly sermon to highlighting drug abuse.
As per the national media, this change is now perceptible across all such mosques in the restive region.
“Kashmir mosques that blared ‘Azadi’ slogans will now launch a war on drugs” read the headline of a Hindustan Times report published on July 3, 2019. “Mosques across the Kashmir Valley, which blared slogans for “Azadi” (independence) in the early nineties, amplifying a separatist movement, will soon be using their loudspeakers to spread a message against the use of drugs, rapidly becoming a huge problem in the state of Jammu & Kashmir,” the report said.
(You may now kiss the Bride.
)
Reaching out with hugs? The Hurriyat has noticeably softened since Shah came into the picture. (File Photo: Reuters)
While Mirwaiz was already seen as a moderate face of separatism, even his hardliner counterpart from the Hurriyat (G), Syed Ali Geelani, now sounds a bit soft.
It was for the first time in the last 30-odd years of militancy, that when the Home Minister made his maiden visit to Kashmir on June 26, 2019, there was no strike call from Geelani or his colleagues. In another significant development, separatist leaders have joined hands with Kashmiri Pandits to find ways to facilitate the latter’s return to the homeland. As per a news report published in India Today on July 6, 2019, “This is the first such effort in 30 years after thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the state after facing widespread violence.”
Keeping the situation under control on July 8, 2019 — the death anniversary of Hizbul Commander Burhan Muzafar Wani — was supposed to be another challenge. However, as compared to last year, Burhan’s death anniversary this year passed off peacefully, and the public response to a hartal call was debatable.
As per news reports, despite a customary hartal call, traffic jams were witnessed on the Boulevard as many used the strike as an opportunity to visit the Mughal Gardens and Dal Lake.
Just another day: Compared to past years, Burhan Wani’s death anniversary this year passed off peacefully. (Photo: Reuters)
This time, even social media wasn’t that provocative.
Otherwise, on Burhan’s second anniversary, the separatists had tweeted this:
The change in regional mainstream parties is similarly palpable.
The National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — who had otherwise championed the “Kashmir cause” — have gone for posturing. Out of power, the Abdullahs and Muftis would usually sound no different from separatists. But now, the ‘pampered dynasts' seem to be behaving more responsibly.
During the previous ban on civilian movement on the national highway after the Pulwama suicide bombing on February 14, both the Abdullahs and the Muftis had personally led roadside protests to publicly defy the curbs, bravely asking people to do the same.
For the security of the Amarnath Yatra, a similar ban is again in place. However, this time, the senior leaders from both parties have refrained from taking the law in their hands.
Dynasts of Kashmir: They are now busy tweeting about flowers and cricket jerseys, and not the 'burning Kashmir question'. (Photo: Reuters)
Instead of the NC and PDP, this time, such roadside protests have mainly been organised by the Peoples United Front (PUF), an alliance between Engineer Rashid’s Awami Etihad Party (AEP) and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), led by Shah Faesal.
But then, it is no more of the traditional anti-India ranting by Engineer Rashid. His protests have reduced to serenading demonstrations — he either walks barefoot outside the Civil Secretariat or brings along drummers, who play the dhol.
Such musical demonstrations are constant reminders of a scene from the Shahrukh Khan-starrer Mohabattein wherein Shahrukh Khan’s character, Raj Aryan, protests by singing the song “Duniya Mein Jitni Hain Nafratein”.
For around a month, Omar Abdullah’s tweets are more on issues like his cabin baggage and pictures of blooming flowers in Gulmarg than the “Kashmir-issue”. His firebrand colleagues also sound equally softened.
Controversial NC leader and former Speaker of the J&K Assembly, Muhammad Akbar Lone, who won the Baramulla Parliament seat, is yet to stoke any new controversy. Known for his reportedly controversial statements previously, especially an appreciation for Pakistan and use of abusive language, Lone is largely silent in Parliament.
Forget politicians, even the Srinagar-based media houses have reformed.
Previously, a section of influential newspapers would use phrases like “government forces” and “troopers”. Now, they have switched to “security forces”.
But then, though for Amit Shah, it is a well-begun moment, it is only a halfway point.
The other half is an altogether different story.
And that half is not about politicians pampered by New Delhi and Islamabad to be beneficiaries of the Kashmir conflict — the other half is about the Kashmiri youth, who either pick up guns or take to the streets.
And the dissent of this youth matters.
Out on the street: The dissent of the Kashmiri youth remains a big challenge for Amit Shah. (Photo: Reuters)
On the one hand, the killing of the poster-boy of new-age militancy, Burhan Wani, led to months of unrest in the state and prompted New Delhi to appoint Dineshwar Sharma as Interlocutor. On the other, on February 14, 2019, a 20-year-old lesser-known local militant, Adil Dar, pushed India and Pakistan to a nuclear flashpoint through his suicide bombing in Pulwama.
Since killing the militants has failed to kill militancy, Shah’s Chanakya neeti is expected to be beyond Operation All Out.
And then, in a state where 70 years of corruption — allegedly fueled by the regional dynasts — has been among the reasons for alienation, things haven’t improved much during the last one year of Governor's Rule either.
On June 12, 2019, Raj Bhawan called an interaction with accredited journalists. I was one of the invitees. Five of the 10-odd questions were on complaints of rampant corruption, prevalent during the Governor’s rule, with the Raj Bhawan unable to give convincing replies.
So, though halfway there, Shah has bigger challenges ahead. But then, there is hope.
And this hope is strengthened by his historic speech on Kashmir in Parliament on June 28, 2019.
Shah said that taking the people of Jammu and Kashmir into confidence was the top priority of the Modi government “even if it means giving more.”
Call him a new-age Chanakya or Sardar Patel’s avatar, the strongman who brought perceptible change in Kashmir in just a month is expected to perform even better hereon.
All the best, Amit Shah!
Halfway home in Kashmir: How Amit Shah has tamed some of the fiercest anti-India voices in the Valley
The Home Minister's Chanakya-neeti on Kashmir seems to be working. At least half the voices in Kashmir, which earlier stoked big trouble, seem to be quietly toeing the line.
POLITICS | 7-minute read | 14-07-2019
By Majid Hyderi Twitter : @majidhyderi
--------------------
For someone acclaimed as Bharatiya Janta Party’s ‘Chanakya’, who drove the party to a historic landslide victory in the 2019 Parliament elections, getting the crucial assignment to head the Home Ministry was supposed to be the next big challenge.
But for Amit Shah, his Chanakya-neeti as the country’s Home Minister seems to have worked out even better.
If well-begun is half-done, Shah looks already halfway through — at least with regard to how politics in Kashmir has changed since the day he assumed office on June 1, 2019.
Speaking Softly. And?: The enigmatic strategy of the BJP's Chanakya seems to be working even better in Kashmir.(Photo: Reuters)
From mainstream to separatist camps, some of the most vociferous faces have transformed.
The winds of change started blowing from the historic Jamia Masjid, Nowhatta in Srinagar — otherwise seen as the hotbed of the “Azadi” sentiment. Addressing devotees from the mosque's pulpit, Kashmir’s head parson and senior separatist leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, now dedicates his Friday sermons mainly to social and environmental issues.
On June 15, 2019, addressing the Jamia gathering, the Mirwaiz, who heads the Hurriyat(M), highlighted how people and government were responsible for frequent threats of flooding in Kashmir. The next Friday, he dedicated his weekly sermon to highlighting drug abuse.
As per the national media, this change is now perceptible across all such mosques in the restive region.
“Kashmir mosques that blared ‘Azadi’ slogans will now launch a war on drugs” read the headline of a Hindustan Times report published on July 3, 2019. “Mosques across the Kashmir Valley, which blared slogans for “Azadi” (independence) in the early nineties, amplifying a separatist movement, will soon be using their loudspeakers to spread a message against the use of drugs, rapidly becoming a huge problem in the state of Jammu & Kashmir,” the report said.
(You may now kiss the Bride.
)Reaching out with hugs? The Hurriyat has noticeably softened since Shah came into the picture. (File Photo: Reuters)
While Mirwaiz was already seen as a moderate face of separatism, even his hardliner counterpart from the Hurriyat (G), Syed Ali Geelani, now sounds a bit soft.
It was for the first time in the last 30-odd years of militancy, that when the Home Minister made his maiden visit to Kashmir on June 26, 2019, there was no strike call from Geelani or his colleagues. In another significant development, separatist leaders have joined hands with Kashmiri Pandits to find ways to facilitate the latter’s return to the homeland. As per a news report published in India Today on July 6, 2019, “This is the first such effort in 30 years after thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the state after facing widespread violence.”
Keeping the situation under control on July 8, 2019 — the death anniversary of Hizbul Commander Burhan Muzafar Wani — was supposed to be another challenge. However, as compared to last year, Burhan’s death anniversary this year passed off peacefully, and the public response to a hartal call was debatable.
As per news reports, despite a customary hartal call, traffic jams were witnessed on the Boulevard as many used the strike as an opportunity to visit the Mughal Gardens and Dal Lake.
Just another day: Compared to past years, Burhan Wani’s death anniversary this year passed off peacefully. (Photo: Reuters)
This time, even social media wasn’t that provocative.
Otherwise, on Burhan’s second anniversary, the separatists had tweeted this:
The change in regional mainstream parties is similarly palpable.
The National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — who had otherwise championed the “Kashmir cause” — have gone for posturing. Out of power, the Abdullahs and Muftis would usually sound no different from separatists. But now, the ‘pampered dynasts' seem to be behaving more responsibly.
During the previous ban on civilian movement on the national highway after the Pulwama suicide bombing on February 14, both the Abdullahs and the Muftis had personally led roadside protests to publicly defy the curbs, bravely asking people to do the same.
For the security of the Amarnath Yatra, a similar ban is again in place. However, this time, the senior leaders from both parties have refrained from taking the law in their hands.
Dynasts of Kashmir: They are now busy tweeting about flowers and cricket jerseys, and not the 'burning Kashmir question'. (Photo: Reuters)
Instead of the NC and PDP, this time, such roadside protests have mainly been organised by the Peoples United Front (PUF), an alliance between Engineer Rashid’s Awami Etihad Party (AEP) and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), led by Shah Faesal.
But then, it is no more of the traditional anti-India ranting by Engineer Rashid. His protests have reduced to serenading demonstrations — he either walks barefoot outside the Civil Secretariat or brings along drummers, who play the dhol.
Such musical demonstrations are constant reminders of a scene from the Shahrukh Khan-starrer Mohabattein wherein Shahrukh Khan’s character, Raj Aryan, protests by singing the song “Duniya Mein Jitni Hain Nafratein”.
For around a month, Omar Abdullah’s tweets are more on issues like his cabin baggage and pictures of blooming flowers in Gulmarg than the “Kashmir-issue”. His firebrand colleagues also sound equally softened.
Controversial NC leader and former Speaker of the J&K Assembly, Muhammad Akbar Lone, who won the Baramulla Parliament seat, is yet to stoke any new controversy. Known for his reportedly controversial statements previously, especially an appreciation for Pakistan and use of abusive language, Lone is largely silent in Parliament.
Forget politicians, even the Srinagar-based media houses have reformed.
Previously, a section of influential newspapers would use phrases like “government forces” and “troopers”. Now, they have switched to “security forces”.
But then, though for Amit Shah, it is a well-begun moment, it is only a halfway point.
The other half is an altogether different story.
And that half is not about politicians pampered by New Delhi and Islamabad to be beneficiaries of the Kashmir conflict — the other half is about the Kashmiri youth, who either pick up guns or take to the streets.
And the dissent of this youth matters.
Out on the street: The dissent of the Kashmiri youth remains a big challenge for Amit Shah. (Photo: Reuters)
On the one hand, the killing of the poster-boy of new-age militancy, Burhan Wani, led to months of unrest in the state and prompted New Delhi to appoint Dineshwar Sharma as Interlocutor. On the other, on February 14, 2019, a 20-year-old lesser-known local militant, Adil Dar, pushed India and Pakistan to a nuclear flashpoint through his suicide bombing in Pulwama.
Since killing the militants has failed to kill militancy, Shah’s Chanakya neeti is expected to be beyond Operation All Out.
And then, in a state where 70 years of corruption — allegedly fueled by the regional dynasts — has been among the reasons for alienation, things haven’t improved much during the last one year of Governor's Rule either.
On June 12, 2019, Raj Bhawan called an interaction with accredited journalists. I was one of the invitees. Five of the 10-odd questions were on complaints of rampant corruption, prevalent during the Governor’s rule, with the Raj Bhawan unable to give convincing replies.
So, though halfway there, Shah has bigger challenges ahead. But then, there is hope.
And this hope is strengthened by his historic speech on Kashmir in Parliament on June 28, 2019.
Shah said that taking the people of Jammu and Kashmir into confidence was the top priority of the Modi government “even if it means giving more.”
Call him a new-age Chanakya or Sardar Patel’s avatar, the strongman who brought perceptible change in Kashmir in just a month is expected to perform even better hereon.
All the best, Amit Shah!
Halfway home in Kashmir: How Amit Shah has tamed some of the fiercest anti-India voices in the Valley
I knew this would happen one day, just didn't realise this soon.
Irked by Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s remark on Uighur Muslims, China may ask Pakistan to snub separatists
Irked by Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s remark on Uighur Muslims, China may ask Pakistan to snub separatists
Whats our stand on Uighurs?tacit understanding and support right? similarly Chinas stand on Kashmiris
More or less. Without the indirect military support through Pak as in case of Kashmir, of course.
Just a random observation.
Why do a lot of Muslims in the sub-continent dye their beards in this weird shade of copper red ?
Any religious reasons for it ?
Also a lot of them seem to have beards but shaved mustaches, what's up with that ?
