Government cracks whip for second
time in 26 years to curb anti-national activities
Source : ANI Last Updated: Tue, Oct
25, 2016 20:51 hrs
Anil Bhat New Delhi [India], Oct.25
(ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir government's decision to dismiss twelve government
employees for indulging in anti-national activities and also its revelation
that it is closely monitoring over 100 other staff members on similar charges
is not something new. In fact, this is reportedly the second time in 26 years
that such an exercise has been undertaken. Those sacked included mid-level
officials from various state administration departments and teachers, some of
whom were arrested, while others are out on bail or avoiding arrest. The
Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP coalition state government has so far arrested more
than 9,000 people for disrupting peace and detained more than 450. On October
18, for the first time in over a decade, joint teams Jammu and Kashmir and
central police accompanied by the army, searched over 700 houses over a period
of 12 hours in Baramula district and recovered seditious anti-India publicity
materials like leaflets and pamphlets, national flags of the Peoples' Republic
of China, letter heads of terrorist organizations, crude bombs and unauthorized
mobile phones. While Pakistani flags were very common and even ISIS flags have
been seen now and then, Chinese flags are a new addition. Forty four persons
from ten sensitive localities, including Qazi Hamam, Ganai Hamam, Taweed Gunj,
Jamia and other small pockets were arrested. On October 16, the All Parties
Hurriyat Conference (APHC) issued a statement in Srinagar that, "lauded
the people of Kashmir for showing steadfastness on the completion of 100 days
of the so-called Intifada", which has claimed 90 lives and injured over
12,000 in violent clashes so far. The head of the hardline faction of the AHPC,
S.A.S. Geelani and M.U. Farooq, heading the so-called "moderate" faction
of separatists being under house arrest did not prevent the calendars
continuously inciting people to hate and violent disruption being spread in the
Kashmir valley. Here is a brief excerpt: 26 September, Monday No Relaxation,
Non Resident Kashmiris' (NRK) referendum March. NRK's and friends of Kashmir
Freedom Struggle March towards UN Headquarters and Indian Embassies all over
world including Pakistan and Azad Kashmir on the day when India speaks at 71st
UN General Assembly Session. Carry flags banners and placards with messages
reminding world of promises of referendum for the people of Jammu and Kashmir
............ Back home, assemble and occupy all roads from11a.m. to 4p.m. and
carry flags, banners, placards with messages reminding world of promises of
referendum for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and highlighting war crimes
perpetrated by Indian occupational forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Offer Zuhar
prayers on roads..27 September, Tuesday, Relaxation from 6 pm to 6 am, Women's
Day. Assemble and occupy local chowks and centers from Zuhr to Asr in the
vicinity of your mohallas, villages and localities; Protest with flags placards
and banners with freedom messages and slogans...28 September, Wednesday
Relaxation from 6 pm to 6 am, Trehgam, Pattan, Hajin, Khag, Wakoora, Srinagar
(North) (Shaher-e-Khas), Pulwama (central), Koimouh, Kellar, Pahalgam freedom
march..29 September, Thursday, Relaxation 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. One day Azadi
convention, Neighbouring villages and localities organize one day azadi convention
from 11am to 4pm in respective areas, deliberate and discuss ways and means to
strengthen the ongoing people's uprising ...Directions for all the days: 1.
Protests be held across Jammu and Kashmir. 2. Shutdown across J&K on all
days except the relaxation mentioned in the program.3. Public Vehicular
movement not to be stopped after 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on all nights. 4. Lockdown
all the routes entering your mohallas, villages and localities by every means
during night to protect people in general and youth in particular from the
raids and arrests by Indian forces and J&K police. 5. Play Islamic and
Azadi Taranas(songs) from Magrib to Isha on all days. According to local media,
the "united Hurriyat" have run out of ideas to keep Kashmir boiling
and quite confused, have issued a fresh protest calendar in October on the same
anti-national lines as previous ones. People dealing with business in Kashmir
have ridiculed the Hurriyat leaders. With no respite from separatists, people
continue taking to the streets. On October 6, transporters publicly protested
against S.A. S. Geelani in Lal Chowk saying he had failed to think of their
livelihood and that their families were suffering from starvation. Business
delegations have been visiting Geelani's residence requesting for extension of
relaxation and restoration of normalcy. A delegation of transporters visited
Geelani's residence complaining that he was only concerned about shopkeepers
and completely ignoring transporters. Since July 8, when protests erupted, the
Hurriyat had not announced a single hour of relaxation for buses, cabs and auto
rickshaws. When some auto-rickshaws defied a ban, two of their vehicles were
torched by miscreants. For the past three months the separatists have been
issuing protest calendars, preventing restoration of normalcy in Kashmir. One
of the definite aims of Pakistan Army/Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), implemented through its lackeys, the separatists,
has been to paralyse education. Generating large scale rioting by public and
particularly youth in Kashmir Valley, the separatists and their network yet
again not only shut down schools, but had six schools burnt by the agitators -
three at Anantnag and one each at Ganderbal, Shopian and Bandipora. Most of the
scorched schools are primary schools except for the Abu Hanifa Complex Public
School, begun in 1974, which during the previous academic year, functioned for
only 215 days. × It is indeed most ironic that leave alone ensuring that
education is not disrupted, a sinister process of radicalizing youth, which
should have been nipped in the bud, but instead was allowed to fester, causing
irreparable damage to education. Earlier, owing to frequent imposition of
close-downs ordered by the separatists, on an average, two/three days in a week
most institutions remained closed, causing discontinuity in the education
process. The current year, 2016, has been the worst, with a loss of tens of
thousands of education-days owing to these protests/rioting and resultant curfews.
This figure multiplied by the number of students in the valley with the number
of days lost, will be alarmingly high. Add to that the loss caused by the
schools which were burnt as well as the time and effort required to rebuild
them. Every Kashmiri separatist leader's daughter or son is rich and safe,
outside Kashmir. For them, Jihad is meant for other people's sons. The only
schools which ran uninterruptedly in the affected parts of the valley are 30 of
the 46 Army Goodwill Schools (AGS) established in J&K by the Army as part
of its civic assistance programme, Sadbhavna, since the early 1990s. In parts
of J&K where the AGS are functioning, there is good rapport between the
Army and the local populace. The setting up of AGS was preceded by a scheme of
the Army sponsoring students from poor backgrounds and remote locations in
J&K to Army schools in other states, most notable among them being Army
Public School (APS), Beas, Punjab. In this APS, Army has sponsored 60 students
of J&K- 26 from Leh region, 30 from the Valley and four from the Jammu
region. Comprising both boys and girls, these students, from classes 6th to
9th, are getting uninterrupted quality education in a healthy and competitive
environment and at absolutely no cost to the parents. Another noteworthy
example is APS, Udhampur, in the hostel of which, 26 boys from various regions
of the State are being housed and educated. Among them is the last 10th class
topper, Sunak Singh, who was adopted by the Army after his father was
mercilessly gunned down by terrorists in 2001. With the rioting reducing
considerably, the Army in J&K is trying wherever possible to assist schools
in re-starting and encouraging children to resume attending schools, even as
many parents who can afford to, are sending their children out of J&K, or
at least out of the valley. The Army has also launched a campaign on Twitter,
Hashtag #School Chalo, which has been catching on. The government now needs to
be innovative. It must use the same social media which has been misused by the
ISI and separatists for radicalizing Kashmiri youth and try to turn the tide.
Having interviewed many Kashmiri children brought on all-India tours by the
Army and BSF over the past two decades, one can say that all is not lost and
there is hope for retrieval. There should be a sustained campaign on social
media with visuals post 1947 history, of Pakistan military's barbaric
suppression of hapless people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Balochistan and
other aspects to drive home to Kashmiris of the affected valley districts about
how Pakistan and Kashmiri separatists are ruining their lives. Chief Minister
Mehbooba, lashed out at the separatists and has finally begun acting against
them. At least Yasin Malik and Aasiya Andrabi are in jail. Her message to youth
is sane and touching-"We can't force someone to talk by throwing stones on
them. If we need a dialogue, we have to stop militancy..If we can hand them a
bat or a ball instead of guns... " It needs to be added yet again that no
matter what is done, there will be no lasting peace in J&K till, literally,
the separatists are not separated from the people. The views expressed in the
above article are that of Col (Retired) Anil Bhat. (ANI)
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