People from various sections of society in Kashmir have expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the valley, particularly the killings of teenagers and have taken exception to what they call “continued silence” over the happenings.
Those who spoke to The Hindu said that while the State and Central governments were contemplating tough measures to deal with the situation “there is no move to apply balm on the wounds of scores of families who lost their children to the bullets of security forces.” They urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to step in and address the issue with a “human heart” since “the State government has failed to deliver.”
Altaf Hussain, a leading paediatrician, said that going by the Centre's stand, Kashmir was its part but that was not the reality on the ground and “there is a complete disconnect.”
“If that would be the case the teenagers killed are Prime Minister's children but he has not uttered a single word to condole these deaths,” Dr. Hussain said.
“There is no regret but we only hear about reinforcements.” He said that children in the age group of 7-17 years had been killed and this was shocking. The Prime Minister should have directly stepped in to reach out to the people as “there is no government here which could be friendly with people”.
Noted poet Zarif Ahmad Zarif said that the situation in Kashmir “is critical.” “Infants are crying for milk as there is no supply of essential commodities,” he said. The killings were shocking and people were groaning in pain. “We have a right to ask as to why even water cannon was not used in a Maoist area, where 80 CRPF personnel were killed in a single day,” he argued. “I do agree that people have resorted to arson but see the difference in the response.” Mr. Zarif said that unpleasant part of the situation was that “there is no remorse over these killings on anybody's face, whether Prime Minister or Home Minister. They are proving their stand wrong that Kashmir is India's integral part,” he added.
Educationist Nusrat Andrabi said that the government should immediately release all prisoners and allow people like Geelani and Mirwaiz to walk freely so that an atmosphere for talks was created. “They are neither dangerous people nor criminals but they are leaders,” Professor Andrabi said. She said that the situation was completely out of control and the Prime Minister should speak out.
Noor Ahmad Baba, who teaches political science at Kashmir University, said, “It is not a question of any government failing. It is the State which has failed,” he said. “As far as the State government is concerned, it is working in synergy with the Central government, the Congress is part of the coalition, New Delhi is backing Omar Abdullah. What else do you need?”
“It is the system which has collapsed,” Professor Baba said, accusing the government of worsening the situation by re-imposing curfew and not allowing people to breathe. “The government of India should accept Kashmir as a political problem and not tag it with any other issue and then start some initiative,” he said. However, he maintained that to come out of this situation was a very big challenge.
The former chairman of the Public Service Commission, Mohammad Shafi Pandit, said that there should be intervention at the highest level. “There is no of word sympathy from any corner,” he said. Mr. Pandit said that the national media should also play a constructive role in portraying the situation on the ground.
Sushobha Barve of the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation believes that New Delhi should recognise that reaching out to Kashmir is the most important issue now. “I think someone who matters in Delhi, preferably the PM, should speak to Kashmir families who lost their relatives in the past few weeks. He should also consider sending a team and I think a group of parliamentarians should visit Kashmir,” said Ms. Barve, who has been involved in Track 2 diplomacy on Kashmir during the last 10 years.
