The revelations on secret funding to Jammu & Kashmir's pro-India politicians through Army headquarters has raised a political storm in Kashmir with questions being raised on conduct of elections, maintenance of law & order and installation and removal of Governments.
Interestingly, mainstream political parties, including the ruling National Conference, Opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Awami Ittehad Party are on the same page with separatist Hurriyat Conference and JKlF in denouncing Army's alleged involvement in J&K's political affairs, albeit with their own interpretations.
Analysts say former Army Chief Gen (retd) VK Singh's remark that J&K Ministers have been funded by the Army since Independence has left a question mark on the credibility of the political system in the embattled State. Many politicians including Union Minister Farooq Abdullah have demanded an inquiry into the allegations.
Pro-Independence JKlF filed an affidavit in the High Court on the basis of Gen Singh's statement to file FIR against the security forces allegedly involved in killing of more than a hundred civilians in 2010 summer uprising.
The storm blew with a report in a Delhi-based newspaper saying that Army's Technical Support Division (TSD), a secret unit established during Gen Singh's tenure as Army chief, paid J&K Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir a sum of Rs 1.19 crore in 2010 to topple Omar Abdullah-led coalition Government. Singh during subsequent interviews acknowledged that the payments were made to "various Ministers" including Mir but maintained that the money was meant for "various things to be done as part of stabilising factor in the State".
Mir, currently the Agriculture Minister in the Omar Abdullah's Government and head of one-man Democratic Party (nationalist) has denied the charges.Interestingly, the ruling NC, in a bid to show loyalty to the Congress at the Centre, came on the forefront to castigate Gen Singh whose public appearance with BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has irked the Congress leadership.
Except discreetly silent Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, most of the NC leaders, including Abdullah, have sharply reacted to Gen Singh's remarks. The ruling party has dared Gen Singh to reveal the names of Ministers funded by the Army and declared that any NC Minister found involved would be shunted out of the party.
"I think the time has come when a CBI enquiry should be held immediately to see what funding the Army has done, and who are the people who have received these funds, and how those funds have been utilised," Abdullah said in New Delhi.
"I think it is a very, very terrible statement that he (Gen Singh) has made. It must be investigated. The Army has nothing to do with the funding of political parties. They should never do this. The Army should be kept apolitical. If he has done that, (then) he has done something extremely wrong," he added.
NC leaders, including provincial presidents Davinder Rana and Nasir Wani, Cabinet Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar and additional general secretary Mustafa Kamal have blamed the Army for orchestrating summer agitation in 2010, which at one point in time seemed to culminate the Omar Abdullah-led Government. Home Minister P Chidambaram-led Parliamentary delegation's arrival resulted into political intervention that saved the Government.
The timing of TSD's funding has not been revealed.Meanwhile, the controversy has provided handle to separatist leaders to whip New Delhi and the Army for "manipulating political affairs in Kashmir".
Chairman Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that Gen Singh's revelation exposed the "façade of democracy". "While in actual practice the State has been reeling under martial law for decades, the blood of our young and old spilled on the streets, unaccounted for and without remorse," Mirwaiz said in a statement. .
Mirwaiz said that Singh's statement about funding Ministers since 1947 has completely undermined the legitimacy of successive so-called "representative Governments" in J&K since 1947.
Meanwhile, the Opposition PDP has demanded probe into Gen Singh's remarks saying they have dented the image of Indian Army and have cast doubts on the minds of Kashmiri people regarding the Army's intentions.
"Gen Singh has made three different statements in three or four days. First he refused to accept that there was any transaction at all, then he said, yes the money was given to GH Mir, but added that Mir was like God. Now, he has again changed his statement today saying, other Ministers are also being paid and the practice has been there since independence," Beigh said.
"Giving money to some coward, selfish and corrupt people would not win you the hearts and minds of people," Beigh said with an apparent reference to Army.
Awami Ittihad Party chief and legislator Engineer Rasheed demanded registration of FIR against GH Mir and through investigation into Army's funding in Kashmir politics. He said that in his own constituency, renegades were paid Rs 2 lakh by an Army officer and a police officer during 2010 summer to organise a rally against him. "I informed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, and an intelligence officer at that time as to how money is misused," he revealed.
State Secretary of Marxist Communist Party MY Tarigami urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to constitute a high-level probe to ascertain the facts. "It is a serious matter which concerns everybody and cannot be ignored," Targami said.
Observers say that even as the controversy erupted from the rivalry between the BJP and the Congress at the Centre, it has culminated into exposing muddy dealings on Kashmir. "In whatever way, the controversy is investigated, it establishes that New Delhi has different yardstick to deal with Kashmir and the claims of democracy remain questionable," said journalist Haroon Rashid.