Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is single handedly fighting on many fronts at the same time. A Kashmir Life report.
In his media appearances these days Chief Minister Omar Abdullah looks like to be on a back foot, apparently bogged down by the current crisis. But that is probably just an appearance. A closer look reveals that the young chief minister is in reality a lone warrior fighting on many fronts at the same time. The only support he is getting right now is from union government in New Delhi, and the Congress high command.
People: The biggest predicament for any ruler is to take his subjects head on. That is what chief minister Abdullah’s government has to do these days.
Whether he likes it or not, the government has cornered people with frequent curfews, apart from the killings in police firings. People are annoyed over repeated instances of civilian killings, mostly teenagers, in police firings. In some instances like in Islamabad youth have been killed inside a residential compound.
Separatists: In a bid to clamp down on the protests stirred by civilian killings, the government cracked down on separatists, detaining many of them and confining some to home. Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai, Ayaz Akbar, Mohammad Yousuf Mujahid and Zafar Akbar Bhat have been booked under PSA. JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik has also been detained while Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar has been briefly allowed out of home. The crackdown on Hurriyat (G) leaders and activists has forced some to go underground. Massrat Alam, Asiya Andrabi and Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi have been able to issue protest calendars even in hiding. The programs have seen a near total implementation on ground, at times aided by the pre-emptive curfews and restrictions.
Judiciary: With the detention of Bar Association President Mian Qayoom and general secretary G N Shaheen, government has taken the lawyers body head on. It also resulted to the suspension of work in the courts for some time, as lawyers boycotted work to protest the detention of their president International rights watchdog Amnesty International has raised concern over the detentions of Bar members under the Public safety Act.
“The detention of the Bar Association leaders appears to be an attempt to stifle legitimate and peaceful protest, as part of the ongoing crackdown by the authorities in parts of Kashmir,” said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific Director at Amnesty International in a statement.
Youth: The major causality of the current crisis have been youth. Most of the dead in police firings are either minors or youth in early 20s. Hundreds are injured. Moreover, a number of children and youth have been arrested, or face potential arrests for their alleged involvement in stone pelting. Police is raiding houses mostly during night to arrest suspected stone-pelters. This has also sent many children into hiding.
The problem is aggravated by the lack of juvenile homes in the state. The Human Rights Watch has expressed concern over the absence of juvenile homes in the state and asked government to follow the High Court direction of setting up juvenile homes. Opposition party PDP alleged that many innocent boys were arrested to extract ransom from their families.
Party: One of the many fronts chief minister Abdullah is fighting on, includes his party and the coalition. There is internal bickering in the National Conference and there is internal bickering in the coalition partner Congress.
The government also ordered an inquiry into the reports that some ministers have amassed huge wealth through corrupt practices. The vigilance commissioner has been asked to conduct a preliminary enquiry.
Finance Minister Abdul Rahim was accused of buying a luxury flat in Dubai Palms for Rs 120 crore. Abdul Rahim Rather has refuted the allegations. All the ministers under scanner are said be either from the old guard, or from the dissenting group in the Congress.
Chief Minister Abdullah is reportedly not at good terms with the old guard in his party. Prior to the National Conference Working Committee meet this week, speculations were rife that Farooq Abdullah may resign as the party president because of differences with his son. Senior Abdullah however dumped the speculations.
Opposition: Opposition Peoples Democratic Party has been in Omar Abdullah’s firing zone right from day one. Abdullah has accused PDP of instigating trouble last year during Shopian crisis. In the current crisis too, Abdullah first blamed PDP for instigating stone pelting and protests in the Valley over civilian killings.
Media: There was a time when Omar Abdullah was a high profile blogger from the state (though briefly), and would come across as an advocate of free speech. But his stint in power has earned him a reputation of a blocker. His government put curbs on media, text messaging and even on online media.
Mediamen faced some of the severest restrictions earlier this month, as a curfew was implemented at the press enclave and curfew passes of journalists were cancelled. Newspapers did not come out for four days. Prior to that, the circulation of the most newspapers was curtailed by police in districts. Now, social networking site Facebook users are also under scanner.
Coincidentally, the union home ministry is flexing its muscles on mobile operators in the state, leading to speculations that the pre-paid mobile services may again be suspended in the state.
