Unjust demand

Sir — The assassination of Jan Mohammad Kakroo, leader of the Congress party, will hopefully make Mufti Mohammed Sayeed realize that his demand to cut down troops in Kashmir is unfair, to say the least (“Rebels break lull, shoot Cong leader”, April 2). The Centre, taking cognizance of Sayeed’s demand, has already appointed three high-level committees to look into the demand. Kakroo’s murder, however, clearly points out to the fact that under the present circumstances, a decision to pull-out troops would be disastrous. The security of the people should take precedence over the allegations of human rights abuse on the part of the army that has been battling the militants for sometime now. The People’s Democratic Party and its chief should stop pressurizing the state Congress government to repeal the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act and remove troops from the valley. Kashmir has never been a stable state. Sayeed is mistaken if he thinks that the people of Kashmir will be able to lead a peaceful life without the army’s assistance.

Yours faithfully,
S. Mukherjee, Calcutta

Sir — Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is justified in his demand of demilitarizing Jammu and Kashmir. But then, he should also know that charity begins at home. The PDP leader should immediately demand the withdrawal of security forces that have been given the responsibility of protecting him and his family. After all, Sayeed needs to set an example to convince the Centre that peace has returned to Kashmir and the people do not require the army to ensure their safety. The Congress, on its part, should ask Sayeed why he and his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, have not reduced their personal security. If the PDP withdraws support to the ruling alliance in Kashmir, the people will not forgive the party for this treacherous act.

Yours faithfully,
Udita Agrawal, New Delhi

Sir — Kashmiri leaders, cutting across party lines, have demanded the reduction of troops from civilian areas to protect the human rights of the people in the state. No territory, especially a disturbed area, can permanently remain under the dual control of civilian and martial law. Hence, it is against the norms of a democracy if the armed forces and the state government simultaneously rule a state.

The authorities should realize that terrorism has acquired menacing proportions simply because the Indian army has been guilty of killing innocent civilians in its bid to thwart militants and earn rewards and promotions in the process. Sadly, the army has made no attempts to win over the Kashmiris to its side. Moreover, the Indian government has been alleging that the terrorists operating in Kashmir are receiving training in camps located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. But it has not taken any steps to ask the army to dismantle those camps on the other side of the border. It is evident that both the army and the state have failed to ease the sufferings of ordinary Kashmiris. It would therefore be prudent to either dissolve the civilian government in Jammu and Kashmir and impose military rule, or repeal the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, so that the government can take care of the state.

Yours faithfully,
Hem Raj Jain, New Delhi

Sir — Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is doing his best to undermine Indian interest in Jammu and Kashmir. The sooner the Congress realizes this, the better it will be for the country. The PDP leader’s daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, was once held captive by terrorists. In exchange of her freedom, the government released several dreaded terrorists from Indian jails. Now the same man is asking for the withdrawal of troops from Kashmir, a step which could lead to an increase of bloodshed in the state. Before acceding to the PDP’s demands, the Congress-lead United Progressive Alliance government should try and find out whether there has been any decline in terrorist attacks to warrant a reduction in troops. The recent killing of a senior Congress leader seems to suggest that there has been no let up in the violence. If the Congress gives in to Sayeed’s unreasonable demand, it would end up jeopardizing the security of Kashmir in its bid to hang on to power in the state.

Yours faithfully,
R.S. Sharma, Calcutta

Sir — It is astonishing that Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is hell-bent on removing the army’s presence in Kashmir. His party has also threatened to withdraw its support from the state government. What is shocking is Sayeed echoing Pervez Musharraf’s demand of demilitarization, which is against our national interests. It is imperative to subject the PDP leader to an investigation to find out the reason behind his outrageous demands. One hopes that the Central government will never fully endorse Sayeed’s demand, even if it means losing power in Kashmir.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir — The death of Jan Mohammad Kakroo shows that moving troops out of Kashmir at this stage would not only endanger the lives of Kashmiris further, but also discredit the Congress and the PDP in the eyes of the people.

Yours faithfully,
Kamal Pandey, Calcutta