Demand for the start of a political process to defuse the volatile situation in Kashmir, gained ground on Monday as Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and most Opposition parties made a fervent pitch to reach out to the people of the embattled State for restoration of peace.
While Mehbooba, who was in the national Capital, discussed the situation with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and called for holding talks with people of the State, Opposition parties raised the issue in Rajya Sabha and demanded that an-party delegation be sent to the Valley.
Pitching for early initiation of a dialogue process with the people of Kashmir, Mehbooba urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seize the opportunity created by the unrest to “win the hearts” of the masses by solving their problems, the way former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee did.
Emerging from a two-hour meeting with Singh with whom she discussed the situation in the Valley, large parts of which have been under curfew for over a month now, Mehbooba told reporters that there was a need to take steps to “ win the hearts of the people.”
“I am hopeful that the Prime Minister will take this as an opportunity to initiate dialogue with people of Jammu & Kashmir to address their problems. There is a need to take the same initiative of winning hearts of people, which was taken during Vajpayee’s tenure,” she told reporters here.
The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National Security Adviser AK Doval and other senior officials of Home, Defence and Finance Ministries.
Facing trouble in restoring normalcy in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8, Mehbooba said, “I believe there is a need to heal the wounds of people of J&K and initiate dialogue with them. These are our own people. If the process of dialogue with the people can improve the situation in the Valley, we should do it.” She added that her State could become a bridge between India and Pakistan. At the same time, expressing concern in the RS over the prevailing situation in Kashmir, the Opposition demanded a statement from Modi and an all-party meeting to discuss it.
The agitated members also said an all-party delegation should visit the strife-torn State and demanded a ban on the use of pellet guns.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, leader of Opposition and senior Congress member Ghulam Nabi Azad said the administration was paralyzed as many towns were curfew-bound for more than 30 days.
Claiming that this had never happened since 1947, Azad asked why Modi remained a silent spectator even as more than 60 people had died and nearly 5,000 injured. He also remarked while Kashmir was burning, its heat was yet to reach New Delhi.
Azad had submitted a notice for suspension of Question Hour to take up this matter but the Chair did not grant permission. Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked the Government to have a discussion on it on Tuesday as the Elders wanted it as soon as possible. Azad said while the present turn of events in Kashmir was being talked about internationally, it was strange the matter did not figure in Parliament.
Urging the Government to send an all-party delegation to the Valley, Azad stressed that the need of the hour was to resolve the issue through the political process and not treat it as a law and order problem.
Claiming that the social media was highlighting Modi’s silence on this critical issue, he said more than 1,000 youths were in jails and the situation was not normal. It needed a political and developmental solution, he said.
Sharing similar views, Sitaram Yechury (CPM) said the situation was grave in Kashmir, adding the treatment meted out to protestors was “inhuman and criminal.” Objecting to the use of pellet guns, he said even Israel did not use it against the Palestinians.
Given this situation, Parliament cannot be silent as ongoing incidents were alienating Kashmiris, Yechury said and quipped that the Prime Minister’s silence was more eloquent than words.
The left leader also said nearly 30 days had passed since Rajnath Singh called him to help resolve the situation and agreed to send an all-party delegation there. Yechury said the all-party delegation should immediately visit the State besides an all-party meeting in New Delhi as part of the political process.
D Raja(CPI) said the top priority at the moment was to de-escalate and reduce the presence of the Army and security forces in civilian areas. He called for steps to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Neeraj Shekhar (SP) said while it was oft repeated that Kashmir is an integral part of India but the situation there suggested something else. Sharad Yadav(JD-U) also demanded early resolution to the issue and a ban on pellet guns.