Mainstream politicians must find some solution
The situation in Kashmir valley is indeed grave and needs to be urgently managed. First it was the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani that triggered months of unrest, and now it is the Srinagar by-election which has led to a fresh round of agitation. Protests and the resulting violence in both cases were unjustified. Neither the killing of a militant nor the conduct of a fair and democratic process is reason for an agitation. The Indian security forces, including the Jammu & Kashmir police, are working under tremendous pressure. They have to manage the ground reality with both restraint and force. In the process, they have been subjected to more brickbats than bouquets. The recent video of a security personnel being beaten and kicked by one of the protesters, and the one in which a local was tied to the fender of a lead vehicle in a moving military convoy to avoid violent retaliation by the crowd, are two sides of the grim situation that prevails in the valley.
There are voices, primarily among the so-called moderates and liberals, that the Governments, both at the Centre and in the State, must abandon their policy of force to win over the people’s confidence. But there has never been a policy of force per se. The forces have to act according to the situation on the ground, and they have been doing it. Restraint has not been abandoned, as the case of the security personnel being beaten, has demonstrated. The jawan, who was fully armed, did not retaliate to the humiliation but just walked away, thus avoiding an ugly flare-up.
There are many such instances where the security personnel have held back in the larger interests of the local population, and yet what they have been getting in return is more abuse. They are just doing their job — the few instances of excessive use of power that have come to light have always been dealt with by the authorities concerned. It's so unfair for the protesters to mark security men out for their anger, also given that these very personnel are in the forefront of public rescue in times of natural calamities such as floods etc. If the agitators constantly poke them in the eye, it is but natural for the security personnel to hit back. And when liberal commentators repeatedly belittle them and praise stone-pelters — as National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah recently did — it causes enormous damage to the morale of the security forces who are out there tackling a difficult situation.
There is yet again a clamour for the Government to ‘talk' to the stakeholders because force cannot resolve the crisis. It is true that eventually force cannot, but the question is: Whom should the Government talk toIJ leaders of the All India Hurriyat Conference, who are instigators of nearly every violent outburst in the valley, do not believe in the Constitution of India; most of them do not even recognise Indian sovereignty over Kashmir. Their relevance rests on unrest in the valley. They provoke the youth to come on the streets, pelt stones and obstruct anti-terror operations. Then there are the mainstream political leaders. They have been, and are being, engaged. But, the statements coming from some of these leaders have been less than conducive to restoring peace. At least the mainstream politicians must join hands to save the situation.