Amid heightened security in the backdrop of surge in violent activities, the State Government offices would resume functioning in summer capital Srinagar on Monday after biennial shifting of the capital from Jammu. This is the second time Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti would inspect guard of honour at the civil secretariat but the occasion is not altogether satisfying for the PDP-BJP coalition in the embattled State.
The offices were closed in the winter capital on April 28 amid worsening security situation in Kashmir valley. On Saturday evening, a policeman, two civilians and a suspected militant were killed in a shootout in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the latest in the chain of violent incidents. The entire area observed a complete shutdown against the killings on Sunday, a day ahead of the re-opening of top government offices.
The security has been tightened around the civil secretariat and police have established checkpoints at various places.
The durbar move offices are reopening at a time when the Valley is oscillating between hope and despair with unpredictability becoming a norm. This is the third time when the present coalition is shifting back to Srinagar and each time the biennial shifting has been a tougher challenge.
Mehbooba Mufti, her council of ministers and bureaucrats with entire official wherewithal are arriving at a time when the Valley is reeling under a perpetual sense of unrest, insecurity and resentment. The student protests triggered by the avoidable ingress of the Government forces into the premises of Pulwama Degree College on April 15 are not showing let up. The militants are striking at will and targeting police and other government forces, pro-India political workers and banks. The south Kashmir region, once the most bankable regions of the ruling party, is topping the list of dangerous zones.
The Opposition parties are accusing the ruling alliance of pushing the State into misrule and anarchy. On Sunday, the National Conference (NC) described the situation as “deteriorating” and expressed disappointment at the complete failure of the coalition in terms of governance and to create a suitable peaceful environment. The party cited cancellation of the Anantnag bypoll and rising incidents of violence and turmoil in the state as stark examples of government’s failure.
The NC in Core Group meeting chaired by MP Farooq Abdullah and attended by NC Working president Omar Abdullah expressed disappointment over the unwillingness of the Government of India to recognise the political nature of the problem which has compounded the situation in the Valley and added to the already serious level of alienation.
“The mounting human toll of the deteriorating situation in the Valley is painful. The failure of both the State and the Central Government to acknowledge the gravity of the situation is alarming,” said Sakina Ittoo, a senior party leader and former Minister.