Kashmiri politicians, who are blaming everyone except themselves, for spurt in militancy related incidents need to sit back and introspect rather than delivering sermons.
Peoples’ Democratic Party which headed the coalition government for three and a half years in J&K is playing a “victim card” and is trying to project itself as the only party which cares for the people of Kashmir. After losing power PDP leaders are making all possible attempts to reach out to the people and are trying to tell them that they are innocent and they should not be punished. But everyone knows it very well that when they were in power they had forgotten their constituencies and the people, who voted for them in 2014 assembly elections.
After the killing of Hizbul-Mujhaideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016 none of the PDP leaders made an attempt to return to their roots. Most of them ran after secure accommodations in Srinagar and Jammu and discussed all the problems within the cozy rooms of their office chambers and the fortified government quarters in both the capital cities of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the contrary when 2010 unrest ended in the Valley, the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led from the front and reached every nook and corner of Kashmir and even apologized for the 2010 killings despite him being the Chief Minister of the state at that point of time. Omar during his tenure from 2009 to 2014 faced many uncertain situations but he always acknowledged his mistakes and tried his best to tell the people that violence begets violence only.
After PDP came into power it tried to shift the entire blame on Omar Abdullah led government and tried to create a notion that it’s carrying a very heavy baggage, which it has inherited from the previous regime.
The BJP led NDA government in the Centre offered all possible help to Mehbooba Mufti to rebuild Kashmir, which witnessed worst floods of the century in September 2014. It’s unfortunate that rather than concentrating in the development works and rebuilding Kashmir Mehbooba and the other PDP leaders during their tenure tried to rake up the “big issues” which had got nothing to do with the development of Kashmir and the rehabilitation of Kashmiri youth. The big talks of the PDP leaders revolved around resolving Kashmir and the role that China could play.
BJP pulling out from the PDP-led coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir brought to fore that PDP during its tenure just rendered lip service to the people and party had nothing to offer to the people except the hollow slogans and false assurances.
In South Kashmir PDP won the maximum number of the assembly seats in 2014 assembly elections. After PDP came into power South Kashmir started burning and within a short span of time it emerged as the hub of “new militancy” in the Valley. None of the PDP leaders, whom people had voted for, tried to visit their constituencies and pacify the people. Even the then Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti made repeated appeals asking the PDP leaders to reach out to their people in their native places but her ministers ignored the directions.
Today Mehbooba is blaming Centre for Kashmir being in the mess. The party needs to introspect and see did it make any attempt to gauge the situation when it was ruling the state. Holding Centre responsible and castigating Governor Satya Pal Malik for everything has become a routine for few politicians in the Valley. Politicians should stop shedding crocodile tears and should acknowledge that they failed to handle the situation and it was due to their follies that Kashmir has been pushed to the edge again.
Kashmiri civil society needs to wake up and see where the younger generation is heading towards. Everyone will have to play a role to make the youth realize that the path they have chosen is not taking them anywhere and their kith and kin cannot just keep on shouldering their coffins forever. Leaders, who are once again showing dreams to the people of Kashmir, should stop playing politics over the sensitive issues. They need to muster courage and tell the people that killings are no solution. They have to tell the people that it’s Kashmiris who are suffering and their sufferings have to end.
(The writer is member of JK Youth Alliance)
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