Srinagar, Aug 28: A group of ministers, assigned to visit the troubled spots in Kashmir and meet the families of victims killed in action by police and paramilitary forces in the past two months, are yet to perform the assigned task, raising a question mark on seriousness of the state government in addressing the present crisis.
In July, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had formed the ministers’ group, asking it to visit the troubled areas and meet the civil society in a bid to end the unrest. Similar instructions were passed to the chief minister by the centre government. But the ministers have failed to make a contact with public.
Informed sources said barring a couple of occasions, the ministers never visited the areas in south and north Kashmir, allotted to them. And even during this meet, the ministers confined themselves to meeting the government functionaries, either in Army camps or in the highly fortified Dak Bungalows. And to reach the districts, the ministers preferred to go by air to evade the wrath of street protesters.
The PHE Minister, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan
Mir, and Minister for Medical Education, Javaid Ahmad Dar were asked to visit the north Kashmir districts of Varmul and Bandipora. The ministers, the sources said, visited the districts on July 30 and once again recently, but they failed to make a contact with public. As a face-saving tactic, the ministers met senior police and administration officials in Dak Bungalows, reviewing the overall situation in the twin districts. “They didn’t meet the civil society. They didn’t meet the families of those who lost their lives due to police and CRPF firing. It is just a hoax that they visited the districts to meet the public,” said Ghulam Hassan, a resident of Varmul.
Likewise, the Minister for Finance, Abdur Rahim Rather, Minister for Rural Development, Ali Muhammad Sagar and MoS for Tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani were asked to visit south Kashmir districts of Pulwama and Shopian. Taking cue from their colleagues in north, the ministers directed police and administration to ensure that highways leading to district headquarters are kept open “so that people don’t face any problems.”
There was no meeting with the civil society. The ministers directed police and troops to avoid civilian killings and exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the situation.
Similarly, in south Kashmir areas of Islamabad, the Minster for Education, Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed, Minister for Information Technology, Agha Rohulla, and Minister for Social Welfare, Sakina Yatoo were asked to visit the troubled spots. They are yet to perform the task.
A minister, wishing anonymity, said they fear “public wrath” and therefore prefer to remain indoors. “It is difficult to visit the families of victims this time,” he said. “We tried to visit some districts in north and south, but people there were very angry. So we couldn’t make a contact with them.”
Even the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah is yet to make a public appearance, though he visited a couple of districts where he met the senior police and administration officials.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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