Omar Abdullah again caught between rock and
hard place?
Saturday March 09, 2013 05:03:06 PM,
Sheikh Qayoom,
IANS
|
|
|
|
Srinagar: When Jammu
and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah broke down in the
assembly and expressed his "helplessness" in punishing those
responsible for a youth's killing in Baramulla, his political
rivals said he was only proving his "acting skills".
Given his track record of over four years, the remark of the
opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) against Abdullah is
being unkind to a chief minister who is passing through difficult
times, observers here say.
"How can I face the people of the state? After all, I have to live
among my people. Should I tell the people that we cannot act
against those responsible for the youth's killing? Given the
compulsions of the chair that I am holding, I cannot even walk out
like the opposition to protest the youth's killing", Abdullah told
the assembly in a nearly choked voice that indicated both anger
and sadness.
He even said he was not mad in time and again reiterating his
demand for a partial revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers
Act (AFSPA) from areas where militant activities had been largely
contained.
The controversial act gives blanket immunity to the army and the
paramilitary forces deployed in disturbed areas to tackle militant
strife. Interestingly, the state police deployed on the same
duties is not covered by AFSPA.
A 24-year-old youth, Tahir Lateef Sofi, was killed in north
Kashmir's Baramulla town in firing by the security forces on
Tuesday.
Police has lodged an FIR against the security forces for the
youth's killing, naming a colonel of a counter-insurgency unit
among the accused.
The army has ordered a time-bound enquiry into the firing
incident, although its spokesman has denied that the youth had
been killed in firing by army personnel.
Major General V.G. Khandarey, the division commander stationed in
Baramulla, has said any lapse that comes to fore during the course
of the enquiry would be dealt with in the true traditions of the
army.
He described the relationship between the army and the people of
Baramulla as that between two brothers dating back to 1947 when
the army entered the town to drive away the tribal invaders who
had crossed over from the newly-created Pakistan.
Kashmir has been on the boil since the killing of the Baramulla
youth, rekindling fears that the Valley might well be into the
throes of another extended spell of violence and curfew clampdowns
like in 2010.
In bloody clashes between unruly mobs and the security forces, 110
protesters were killed in 2010. Businesses, education and other
normal activities had halted for the entire summer. Thus, it
earned the sobriquet summer unrest.
What worries the chief minister and the ruling National Conference
(NC) is the fact that general elections are due in Jammu and
Kashmir next year. Politically, the Valley has been the
fountainhead of power for the NC from where the party has been
winning the majority of its seats since the times of its founder,
the late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
The demands for the repeal of AFSPA have been the loudest from the
Valley. If Abdullah cannot deliver on even a partial revocation of
the controversial act, the erosion that his rivals in the PDP have
been making into NC strong bastions could rattle the party in
2014.
(Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in)
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
More Headlines |
'China to be more active in international
affairs' |
Fire at Maharashtra government headquarters in
Mumbai |
US honours "Nirbhaya - brave heart, fearless" |
Owaisi bats for DRDO scientist, questions
salary to Col Prohit |
Little known Bengali women get bravery awards |
Register FIR against Maneka Gandhi, court
tells police |
Education key instrument for Muslim women’s empowerment: Rahman
Khan |
Clashes in Kashmir continue unabated, over 227
injured |
PIL against Raj Thackeray, Ajit Pawar for recent public spat |
Surrogacy gaining acceptance in India |
|
Top Stories |
Framing Innocents
Activists, NGOs support Katju's call to
reinstate DRDO scientist
Over a dozen NGOs and activists in a joint statement issued Friday extended
their support to the call given by Press Council of India (PCI)
»
Owaisi bats for DRDO scientist, questions
salary to Col Prohit
Apologize and reinstate
DRDO scientist: Katju asks govt.
|
|
Most Read |

PM attacks BJP, says 'men of envy' disparage everything
Expressing confidence that growth would bounce back to 7-8
percent, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday that
»
Aggressive Manmohan Singh says UPA did better
than NDA
|
Delhi Rape Victim
US honours "Nirbhaya - brave heart, fearless"
Nirbhaya,
the "Fearless" Delhi gang rape victim, has been honoured with a US
"woman of courage" award posthumously for "inspiring people to
work together to end violence against women in India and around
the world." US first lady Michelle Obama
joined
»
|
|
News Pick |
International Women's Day
Our world, Our story
Often people ask, what use March 8
or May 1? International Women’s Day or Labour Day? How is it
relevant when women are seen and heard everywhere and we’d like to
believe that late 19th and early 20th century tales of
»
|
PIL against Raj Thackeray, Ajit Pawar for recent public spat
The Bombay
High Court Friday admitted a PIL demanding action against Deputy
Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj
Thackeray for their recent verbal spat which led to clashes
between
»
|
False Terror Alert
Man held for misleading Hyderabad police on
another terror attack
Hyderabad
police have arrested a man, who fabricated certain documents to
make them believe that there is likelihood of another terrorist
attack in the city.
Police have arrested P. Vivek for misleading the police. A case
under IT Act was booked
»
|
Tamil
Rights
PM flays Sri Lanka, mum on Geneva meet
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday launched a veiled attack on
Sri Lanka, saying Tamils there must get "dignity and self
respect", but kept mum on the
»
Due weight to MPs views on Sri Lankan vote,
assures Khurshid
Go to Sri Lanka as Hanuman, Khurshid tells
Lalu
|
|
Picture of the Day |
 |
Paratroopers in formation of Akashganga during the Indian Air
Force Fire Power demonstration Exercise 'Iron Fist 2013' at
Pokharan, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on February 22, 2013. |
|
Recommend the story to
your friends |
|
|
|
|
|