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LOMARo ABDULLAHst in THE VALLEY

It seemed to be a corner turned for hearts and minds in Kashmir when Omar Abdullah took over as chief minister. Now, it’s blood on the streets and the fear of failure that haunt him.

YASBANT NEGI/www.indiatodayimages.com

By Kaveree Bamzai in

f he could take off in his running could do no wrong 18 months ago when shoes, worn teenager-style with no he came to power in a coalition with the socks, he would no doubt prefer a Congress, has never been so battered weekend with the Sanawar old and bruised. The past two “life-altering” boys to a gruelling day at months have exposed the restless rage ISrinagar’s sanatorium-like of a state where over 50 per cent of the Secretariat. But Kashmir, where 11-million population is under 19, where disillusionment is an industry, does not the total number of people employed is allow anyone downtime. Not even to a just 1.15 million, and where this year third generation prince who has had a alone, the Centre has raised its Plan gilded decade in politics so far, making budget to Rs 6,000 crore and poured in all the right noises and striking all the Rs 1,200 crore through the Prime IT’S A DANCE OF DESTRUCTION IN THE VALLEY AS THIS right poses. By his own admission, 40- Minister’s Rehabilitation Programme PROTESTER ATOP A BURNING year-old Omar Abdullah, the man who with very little on the ground of Omar’s GOVERNMENT VEHICLE IN o SRINAGAR DEMONSTRATES t o h P P A

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electoral promises of bijli, sadak, paani, sehat aur taleem. It has shown up the deep fissures in the local Congress lead- ership, the opportunistic worst of the “ Opposition, and the rise of a shadowy I am my own wor st enemy” new separatist leadership. It has also shown up a state that can as easily swing from a euphoric high of 5,88,000 It’s been one good day in a season of haven’t done enough to sell to the itself for counter-insurgency. Today, tourists between January and June to a bad for Omar Abdullah. There have people what we’ve been doing. We’re that is the least of their problems. despairing low of 46 killings in 50 days. been no deaths yet, and Syed Ali Shah not yet ready for a mindset where Now it is law and order. Now we have As Omar, with an all-new head of Geelani has appealed for calm. As he hard work is enough and we’ll worry to reorient our doctrine and proce- grey, tries to shepherd the state sits down for an interview with about the emotion later. dures. I’ll give you an example. Our through one of its worst crises, he bat- Managing Editor KAVEREE BAMZAI in his Q. But do you believe what you Indian Reserve Police battalions were tles a growing gulf from the very peo- makeshift office at G1, his Gupkar have done is adequate? going to be put through specialised ple who voted him in with a 61 per cent Road Home, the chief minister knows A. A lot more needs to be done. training for counter-insurgency. But turnout. He faces an unprecedented he needs more such days if he is to There are six lakh unemployed youth we have now decided that they will be attack from the principal Opposition enjoy the placid calm of his manicured in the state today. I need to do much on the pattern of the Rapid Action party, the PDP, whose vituperation he rose garden. Excerpts. more, and I need them to help me. I Force to train them to deal with returns in equal measure. And he has already have five lakh government crowds in a non-lethal manner. If you no option, in a state that frowns upon Q. What are the lessons of the employees. While I have to look for as look at the scale, size and spread of any consultation with “New Delhi” last two months? many opportunities within the the incidents and then you look at the while at the same time welcoming its A. Numerous, on the political, government, I also need to create financial assistance, to fall back on administrative and personal front. non-governmental opportunities for Central support in a crunch, bringing One of the biggest questions I have is which normalcy is essential. “Our security force back with him from a meeting with the that the 2008 Amarnath land row had Q. Do you feel the Centre has had prepared itself for prime minister, 2,000 additional secu- a clear source: the allotment of land given you adequate support? rity personnel to add to the 3,200 al- for the structures. This time there was A. I have the complete backing of counter-insurgency. ready sent out in the past two months. no clear trigger event. It started with the Government of India, my alliance Today, the problem individual events that had no correla- partner and the UPA. It is now for me tion with one another. Tufail Mattoo and my colleagues to live up to the is of law and order.” o what went wrong? It’s not just died as a result of a teargas shell, backing. They’ve reposed trust in me S YASBANT NEGI/www.indiatodayimages.com that Omar is personally, all which then resulted in the death of the same way the people of my state brisk speaking and quick ideating, Javed Malla and then Rafiq Bangroo. lines. It essentially means that a sus- with each other. We’ve had the worst have done. I owe it to everyone who casualties, I still believe there isn’t an- miles apart from the garden variety But after that Srinagar was contained. tained political dialogue takes place times when we’ve disengaged in the has backed me in this difficult time to other security force that could have Kashmiri politician who has an elas- But then you had , which flared with the mainstream and hopefully aftermath of Kargil, the attack on live up to their expectations. been more restrained. tic view of time and truth. Or that he up because there was an encounter in the separatists. Parliament or 26/11. I look at it from Q. But what do you need to Q. Why don’t you deploy your was not seen sharing the grief of his which a local militant was killed. Q. And what about dialogue the narrow prism of my own state’s do immediately? father as a secret weapon? people when their loved ones were People came out, targeted the CRPF, with ? interests but the national interest is A. Cool things down. Start reach- A. Because my dad is the least getting killed. Or that he seems less fire was opened and people died. A. I have always been a keen also best served by dialogue. I under- ing a position where we can ease the secretive of anything I can do. He is concerned about providing his state’s Then things shifted to , advocate of sustained dialogue with stand the constraints—we have no curfew. Before fresh trouble erupted the president of the National youngsters with an outlet for their which had no one trigger event either. Pakistan for the simple reason that control over who governs Pakistan or on July 30, I had started this system Conference. But for him to be able to volatility and more bothered about One clear lesson is that we cannot af- disengaging has always been detri- what their position is—but that is of awami mulakats, tehsil level citi- go out into the public, a certain sem- providing safe zones for politicians to ford to be lulled by a sense of compla- mental to the state. We’ve had our something we have to factor in. zens’ meetings. That needs to resume blance of normalcy is required. The move about with security shields and cency that there is no issue in Kashmir best times when Q. Do you believe there was a and strengthen. I need to activate my government will have to give him a bulletproof vehicles. Or that no requiring resolution. While things and and then Pakistani hand to the recent trou- private office in Srinagar. I’m hoping break from Parliament. reform can ever be enough to ensure may appear calm, if you scratch the Dr were engaged bles in Kashmir? to be able to start a radio phone-in Q. Shouldn’t the division among that public works reach the public in surface, there are varied levels of A. It’s too early to get into any programme where people can call in separatists be to your advantage? Kashmir, whether it is through the anger and resentment. We made the “We mistook the blame game. It will also trivialise with their requests. All this with A. On the contrary, they play a cutely named SKEWPY (Sher-e- mistake of taking the 2008 Assembly what we’ve gone through. If I start greater public contact will deliver a positive role in ensuring that needless Kashmir Employment and Welfare elections as some sort of indication 2008 Assembly pointing fingers across the border, more efficient administration. deaths do not occur. A divided, Programme for the Youth) which is that there is no problem. and people here will believe I am trying to Q. But is the response of the dismembered, disconnected sepa- his Rs 200-crore-a-year plan to Kashmir is a political issue. It needs to elections as an escape from my own responsibilities. administration changing as fast as ratist leadership is also not in our deliver voluntary assistance to 97,000 be handled politically. indication that Q. Is there a gap between your the forms of protest are? interests. Let’s face it, there’s a youngsters, or the make-a-business- Q. Which means autonomy? perception and actions? A. I am heading a security force constituency of people whose aspira- man Rs 50-crore annual plan of A. No. Autonomy is my party’s pro- there is no problem.” A. I am my own worst enemy. I that for 18 or 19 years has prepared tions they represent. the Entreprenuership Development posal. Other parties have different Institute. It is about political smarts,

22 INDIA TODAY N AUGUST 16, 2010 AUGUST 16, 2010 N INDIA TODAY 23 NEW NEW Cover story KASHMIR A Series of Unfortunate Events

AP AP JANUARY 5, 2009 National Conference asks people to stay deaths to the High Court. JULY 12, 2010 Having sought away from the polls. the Army’s help, Omar presides Conference chief Omar Abdullah DECEMBER 2, 2009 Centre over an all-party meet. is sworn in as the 11th chief minis- JUNE 5, 2009 JKLF chief says it will draw down a “signifi- ter of Jammu and Kashmir. Yasin Malik and 16 others are cant number of battalions”and JULY 17,2010 Omar Abdullah detained as the mysterious reiterates its commitment to APRIL 23, 2009 The moder- meets Prime Minister Manmohan deaths of two young women hold “quiet talks with all groups”. ate faction of the Hurriyat Singh, Congress President Sonia in spark protests. JUNE 11, 2010 Tufail Mattoo Gandhi and Home Minister and asks him to continue. killed in police action during a P.Chidambaram as the Valley JULY 28, 2009 Omar tenders AUGUST 1, 2010 CCS a“conditional”resignation stone-pelting protest. begins to return to normal. AUGUST 12, 2009 The state reviews the situation in the following allegations by PDP government decides to hand over MARCH 19, 2010 35,000 . leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig JULY 30, 2010 Violent street the Shopian probe to the CBI. troops withdrawn, says Omar. that he was involved in a sex protests break out again; several AUGUST 2, 2010 Omar scam.Two days later, Governor OCTOBER 13, 2010 The CBI JUNE 26, 2010 Curfew on in killed as it escalates sharply over meets Manmohan, Chidambaram N.N.Vohra clears Omar’s name submits its report on the Shopian Sopore, strike in rest of the state. the next couple of days. and other CCS members. AP

AP about not just acting in a crisis, but Mubarak Gul, 59, who handles his suspicious people by suspending four seen to be doing so, whether it is grievance cell; first-time legislator police officials in the wake of Shopian, reacting to the deaths of two women and MoS, Tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani, where two young women were in Shopian of last year or the Tufail 46; and Law Minister Ali Mohammad allegedly raped and murdered. Mattoo killing in June. Sagar, 57, who straddles the old guard It was never going to be enough in Even as his close advisers congrat- and the National Conference’s a state where a distrust of New Delhi ulate each other of a day free of vio- generation next. With these men as is embedded in the psyche. The wide- lence, it is clear they are waiting for a his advisers, Omar has tried the lan- spread perception that no one from blueprint to emerge. New forms of guage of development, by convening Srinagar to New Delhi cares for the protest require new forms of meetings of the district development people of Kashmir got amplified this response. If it was the gun in 1989 and boards which monitor the operating of June 11 when Mattoo’s killing in the stone now, it may well be peaceful all schemes. A straightforward man police action during a stone-throwing satyagraha against the “colonising with little experience of the treacher- protest was made out by the authori- forces” in the next phase. But there ous bylanes of Kashmir politics, he ties to be a murder by “vested seems to be little evolution in the also talked the language of justice. interests”. Since then, 45 more have ways of dealing, though Omar denies Under intense public pressure, he fallen to the bullets in police and this stoutly, as he rubbishes reports managed to have an army camp paramilitary action during protests. of state police officers and central removed from Bomai, Sopore, when The situation has produced a vacuum, paramilitary personnel found shirk- soldiers killed two civilians in an act of in which Omar has been conspicuous ing their duties. unprovoked firing in March 2009. He by his absence. Nor has any other Not to say that Omar has not tried then followed it by asking for a repeal leader filled it. Tara Chand, the state’s to change the system. Working like a or amendment of the Armed Forces deputy chief minister and a senior modern day CEO, he has surrounded Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The army Congress leader, has not said a word himself with a core team. It includes neutralised his campaign by turning on the current crisis. businessman-turned-politician Devi- down amendments prepared by the Two other important Congress nder Singh Rana, 45, a member of the home ministry and calling AFSPA its ministers, minister for irrigation and upper house and his political adviser. “holy book”. The chief minister also flood control Taj Mohiuddin and edu- There’s Eidgah Srinagar MLA tried to win back the trust of a deeply cation minister Peerzada Sayed have only occasionally reiterated the party support to the Omar-led coalition Government. Saifuddin Soz, the pres- IF IT WAS THE GUN IN 1989 AND ident of the Congress’s state unit, has THE STONE NOW,IT MAYWELL BE been issuing anodyne statements IT’S STONE AGE expressing concern over the loss of PEACEFUL SATYAGRAHAAGAINST MEETS FACEBOOK IN KASHMIR NOW life. Anything and anyone connected THE “COLONISING FORCES”NEXT. to the Government has invited public wrath. As the situation escalated in

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AP Photo

THERE HAVE BEEN 46 Internet Warriors KILLINGS IN THE STATE WITHIN A SPAN OF 50 DAYS Stones, cellphone cameras and Facebook go together in battleground Kashmir

he emergence of the streets of Kashmir in an websites like Facebook and Twitter during the night. The TIntifada style battleground is largely because of the cyber-Intifada slowly turned into an almost new sharing net and media savvy youth who have grown up system of information and mobilisation with cellphone amid violence and found an articulation of their anger text messaging being banned and apprehensions that in the current campaign. These youth, the children of the mobile conversations were widely tapped. conflict, had been struggling to situate human rights These Internet warriors have developed their own violations they grew up with in their political outlook by idiom. They discuss the rotating weekly separatist throwing stones at everything that in their view symbol- protest calendars and have started holding the ised repression. Their Intifada found a definite political separatist leadership accountable. This activity has objective and their stones a purpose. The “purposeful- become so unrelenting and intense that it now acts as an ness” of stone-throwing has spread fast across interface between the street and the separatist leaders. Kashmir’s towns and villages. It soon entered cyber- The Facebook activity in particular has also become a space with these youth pelting stones during the day and source of news followed by even journalists. The creating solidarity networks over social networking Kashmir street today is characterised by youth with a REUTERS stone in one hand and a mobile phone camera in the other. They send stones flying into the contingents of police and CRPF and then shoot the action to upload on Facebook and YouTube for others to see and keep a record. Some of them later use the images and videos with popular Western numbers about political resistance and justice. These young men, who have seen no nor- mal childhoods, are not just shaping a new political discourse in Kashmir but have also inspired security forces to use the same methods for fighting them and for surveil- lance. A number of them have been identi- fied through videos shot by men in uniform. Prepared to take bullets in return for inflict- ing injury, the angry young men have per- next generation Hurriyat Conference THE PROTESTERS HAVE TURNED haps raised the bar higher than even the leaders is quoted as having said. armed militants in the decade of 1990s The anger is mainly directed at po- THE DISCOURSE AWAY FROM HUMAN could, both for the separatist leadership as lice stations that have also functioned RIGHTS VIOLATIONS TO THE RIGHT KASHMIR’S ANGRYYOUNG MEN ARE SHAPING THEIR OWN VERSION OF THE INTIFADA well as the government. by Aijaz Hussain as camps for the dreaded Special Operations Group (SOG). Numerous TO SELF-DETERMINATION. such police stations have been torched or attempted to be burnt down even in the Valley, des- Not surprisingly, Omar’s inability Their mobilisation centred around places as far as the garrison town of Delhi. This display of political ambigu- their own hands. The scale of fury is cended finally to convene a meeting of to see a pattern in the protests and his new slogans like “Go India Go Back” Uri near the (LoC). “It ity in the eyes of the Kashmiris has reminiscent of 1990 when armed the National Conference, of which he administration’s inadequacy in and “Quit Jammu and Kashmir” that has become a vicious cycle. Every made him look not his own man. insurgency erupted on the scene. The is president, and passed a resolution responding to them, has created an captured public imagination, bringing death brings about more protests and Today, the people are up in arms talk, from the streets of Srinagar’s seeking the release of all political pris- opportunity that separatists don’t out tens of thousands on the streets in more deaths,” says a top police official. not just against the state but also the crowded Habbakadal to the chief min- oners in the state. It was a move to want to miss out on. As the govern- defiance of even shoot-at-sight cur- “We have come to a situation where symbols of the state authority. ister’s Gupkar Road home, is now of a manage the crisis rather than address ment took its time to grasp the dimen- fews. The debate has become viru- we are the frontline tool but not effec- Methods of crowd control have failed “political solution”, that goes beyond the issue. It did not make any differ- sions of a new kind of protest, where lently anti-India again. “The tive anymore.” The situation forced in the face of people overcoming their the conduct of elections. “If left for ence when the government, led by his masked militants made way for Government is mistaken that it will Omar to vacillate between using a lan- fear in their attempts to shake the militarism alone to deal with, the sit- own party, responded by saying that a Kashmiri youth, the protesters turned crush the genuine sentiments of guage of reconciliation in his appeals political status quo. Hopes from the uation could lead to a much higher mechanism to look at the cases of the discourse away from human rights masses by calling more soldiers to for calm while in Kashmir and sound- Indo-Pakistan dialogue for delivering cost in terms of human casualties that detainees already existed. It was a violations firmly into the arena of the Kashmir. We will resist the occupation ing tough after meeting Prime any change have also died down and New Delhi could find hard to prevent typical case of Kramer versus Kramer. political right of self-determination. at any cost,” Masarat Alam, one of the Minister Manmohan Singh in New people are now taking things into from becoming an international

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concern,” said Sheikh Showkat Apparently aghast at the suggestion, painstakingly achieved over the past Hussain, who teaches law at the Omar replied that if he tried that in decade. One certainty that emerged . Srinagar, he would be lynched. But it after the meeting is that Omar has The Fiery Four The captains of the ‘Quit Jammu and Kashmir’movement Though Kashmir awaits a new dis- was this issue of Omar’s inability to been put under close watch. Incre- course from the Centre, it is clear that connect with his own people that took asingly seen as being aloof and indif- the latter has kept faith with Omar for up most of the discussion time at the ferent, he has been asked to be seen now. Indeed, Union Home Minister P. emergency meeting of Cabinet among the people, offer condolences Chidambaram sounded almost like an Committee on Security (CCS) on August to the families of young protesters Omar spinmeister when he asked the 1, convened to discuss the worsening killed in the firing by security forces, Kashmiri people to repose their faith in situation in Kashmir. and behave like the public figure that him. In a statement in Parliament, The CCS considered imposing Pre- he is. Omar himself seems philosoph- while deeply regretting the 39 civilian sident’s Rule, but then it was felt that ical about his rapid descent from the deaths since June 11, he urged the it would nullify all that had been Great White Hope to the Hero Who people to end the cycle of Failed Us. “I knew I violence. “The people of would go through this Jammu and Kashmir roller coaster. The level have elected a govern- of expectations was un- ment and they must achievable. I couldn’t repose their faith in that have predicted things AP AP YASIN DAR MIRWAIZ UMAR FAROOQ MASARATALAM AASIYEH ANDRABI government to find solu- would be so bad in one- tions to the problems of and-a-half years, but if I The octogenarian separatist An advocate of dialogue between Ayoung missionary school- Afirebrand young woman activist, Jammu and Kashmir,” can take praise, I have to leader’s strength comes from New Delhi,Srinagar and educated separatist,he is aligned Andrabi heads the women he said, adding that the take the criticism too. My the consistency of his position for settling the Kashmir with the Geelani-led Hurriyat separatist group Dukhtaran-e- government was actively skin is not as thick as it on the issue.He has refused to issue,the young cleric separatist Conference.Immediately after Millat (Daughters of Community). “considering a number should be but I am only enter into a dialogue with New has gradually hardened his his release from the 22-month She identifies with the Hurriyat of political and adminis- human.” He is also not Delhi until it formally accepts position,veering towards that long incarceration,he went Conference and regularly trative measures that the only one confused Kashmir as a dispute.Geelani of Geelani.His faction of the underground.Alam assumed a comes out in support of its will help restore nor- about tactics. There are heads his own faction of the All Hurriyat Conference has engaged frontline role as Geelani was position on Kashmir and the malcy in the State”. conflicting views even Parties Hurriyat Conference separately with New Delhi and arrested and is now spearheading protest programmes.Her But this public at the Centre. and is labelled as the most Islamabad several times in the “Quit Jammu and Kashmir” popular base is unclear but she avowal has come with Even as the decision “radical”voice.The youth in the attempts to find a solution.He campaign.Recently,he created a is seen as a strand in the not-so-private admoni- to send in the extra cen- tions that Omar needs to tral forces was taken at Valley have identified with his has turned down the latest offer stir by releasing a video of his separatist stream of politics. “reach out” to the peo- the CCS, sources said that persistent battle cry that “India of dialogue from the prime appeal to the armed forces asking Militant in her outlook,Andrabi ple who have elected Pranab Mukherjee put cannot be trusted”.On August 3, minister until conditions like them to stop participating in is the wife of a top militant him. As veteran Kash- in a dissenting note, say- before his rearrest within two the release of political prisoners, “killing and repression”of the leader serving a life term in the mir analyst Wajahat ing the situation needed days of his release,he called for repeal of the AFSPA and gradual Kashmiris.“We will never tire of Srinagar jail.She has been Habibullah points out, to be handled more by the protests to continue.“The demilitarisation of populated struggling for our history and arrested several times but has “You cannot appeal to winning the hearts and youth have cleansed their hearts areas are met.Currently under freedom.We can’t forget.We will now gone underground and your people on televi- minds of the people. His of fear.Now no power in the world house arrest,he called for civil not forgive.”He is also spearhead- issues regular statements sion. Who is speaking to view was, the more visi- can defeat this people.The disobedience and endorsed the ing a cyber war with anti-govern- supporting Hurriyat’s “Quit the little boys who are ble the security forces, struggle will go on,”he said. ongoing protests. ment blogs,tweets and videos. Jammu and Kashmir”campaign. standing up against the the greater the distrust state with a stone in among people. As a Kas- their hands?” During his hmiri youngster wrote in visit to Kashmir last OMAR WITH an impassioned petition himself a former chief minister Far- Former Jammu and Kashmir gov- suppress them by force. A lot of sacri- month, Home Secretary MANMOHAN SINGH to the prime minister, ooq Abdullah described them.” Secu- ernor G.C. Saxena, who has seen the fices have been made to turn the situ- G.K. Pillai had advised “Why cannot the Centre rity experts feel that they need to be state at the peak of militancy, says the ation around. Somehow, this message Omar to move out and convey the message that engaged by the Government. Chidam- use of unrestrained force is not the must go out to the young people,” he be seen in public. He FED ON EMPTY THEATRICS it cares? That it cares for baram says the Central government answer. “Firing must be used as the says. Self-rule one day, common cur- gave him examples of OF POLITICIANS,THE YOUTH the local Kashmiris? had initiated a “quiet dialogue” with last resort. It is not the time to act in rency the next and greater autonomy popular leaders, such as That it is concerned key political groups and individuals in haste and panic. Factors of ethnic the third day. Fed on the empty the- the late Andhra Pradesh OF KASHMIR,WHO HAVE about the people who 2009. Expected to activate the politi- sympathy are very potent in the state atrics of self serving politicians, the chief minister YSR ONLYSEEN CONFLICT,WANT are dying? That the pro- cal process, it was interrupted in and that is why ways have to be found youngsters of Kashmir, who have seen Reddy, who handled the testers are not mere December when separatist leader to reach out to the people. The secu- nothing but conflict and clamour, are Telangana protests by SOLUTIONS, NOT SOPS. urchins like the chief Fazal-ul-Haq, who favoured dialogue, rity forces must be told that people are demanding solutions, not just sops. going into the crowds. minister’s father and was seriously injured in an attack. the most important factor. You cannot with Aijaz Hussain and Bhavna Vij-Aurora

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