Established 1946 Price : Rupees Five Vol. 68 No. 26 Bigger challenge ahead July 7, 2013 S. Viswam Kashmir’s status With the announcement of the the figure of missing at10,000. The Kuldip Nayar official closure of rescue work in truth perhaps lies in between, but Uttarakhand, the first phase of the whatever the figure, Uttarakhand Shoving won’t solve monumental challenge posed by the has paid a heavy price for facing up Assam’s woes Himalayan disaster can be said to to a challenge it neither anticipated Nitish Chakravarty have been completed. The second nor was prepared for. Natural phase, which will comprise the disasters do claim lives, but in the Char Dham Disaster organization of relief and case of the Uttarakhand disaster, we K. S. Chalam rehabilitation and more importantly, are constantly being reminded by Harrassment of researchers reconstruction and renovation, will many news sources and authorities Pannalal Surana now begin. The last group of 150 that many deaths resulted from poor pilgrims were airlifted to safety on management of the crisis. It is Why India Trails China Tuesday last. Hopefully, no pilgrims therefore saddening to hear Chief Amartya Sen remain stranded. Minister Vijay Bahuguna declare that the exact number of the dead, the Supreme Court’s encroachment Unfortunately, there is no missing and of those buried under the Rajan Kochar certainty on this aspect of the debris or washed away in floods or situation. If stranded pilgrims remain, who reached safety before the Decision to raise height of SSP it will take a long time to locate them official rescue operations began will illegal and political conspiracy or rescue them. This is for the simple never be known. It is bad enough reason that the entire Garhwal People’s Commission Report on when disaster management fails to Special Rehabilitation Scheme region is “threatened” with another rise to the occasion. Worse when spell of heavy rainfall. The we cannot even compile reliable authorities, reports suggest, are statistics to know the precise Editor : proceeding on the assumption that dimensions of the tragedy. G. G. Parikh nature’s fury is all set to unleash Managing Editor : Guddi another wave of floods, leading to The state government fell flat on an even greater destruction of what its face when confronted with a D-15, Ganesh Prasad, little is left of the infrastructure of challenge of immense proportions. the affected area. The state Its performance evokes no Naushir Bharucha Marg, government confirms that at least confidence on whether it will be able Mumbai - 400 007. 3000 people are missing or are to cope with the bigger challenge that Email : [email protected] untraceable. One UN agency puts faces it now, the challenge of 2 JANATA, July 7, 2013 reconstruction and rehabilitation. If Between the lines the state has lost three years of development in one miserable week, how long will it take to restore the Kashmir’s status state to its erstwhile levels of progress? It was heart-breaking to look at a photograph published in Kuldip Nayar most English language dailies of a boy sitting alone and forlorn in front It is once again the Article 370 on communications. The Maharaja of his damaged house and looking at special status to Jammu and signed the Instrument of Accession the sweeping waters that brought Kashmir. Again the BJP has thrown on that condition. When the popular misery in their wake. The the first stone. The party’s top leader, leader, Sheikh Abdullah, came to photograph symbolized the despair L. K. Advani has said that the Article power he endorsed the arrangement on the one side and the hope on the should be scrapped. Jammu and because even at the time of other of the Uttarakhand state and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Maharaja’s rule he had supported its people. Abdullah has said in reply: “Over our the agreement privately. dead bodies.” He tends to overreact In this context, civil society will but he is quite right in saying that the But the Sheikh wanted strict fail in its duty if it does not Article is sacrosanct. adherence to Article 370 in letter and acknowledge the debt it owes to the spirit. The authority of the Supreme armed forces for their contribution The Article was the result of long Court, Comptroller and Auditor and management of the heroic discussions held between Srinagar General and Union Public Service evacuation exercise. The nation was and New Delhi at the time of the Commission was one thing which was impressed by the performance of the state’s accession to India. When the to vest in the state exclusively Airforce and the Army personnel in British quit in August 1947, they left according to Article 370. However, reaching victims to places of safety. it to the princely states either to join except for the subjects of foreign But for these noble efforts the toll India or Pakistan. Keeping in mind affairs, defence and communications, of the dead and missing would have the geographical proximity and the the state was supreme. been higher. The politicians exposed complexion of the population, Jammu their irrelevance and their and Kashmir shared borders with Those who demand the scrapping selfishness by doing precious little to both India and Pakistan. However, of Article 370 or changing it through help the victims. And, as for some the state’s majority of population was Parliament are making one big sections of the local population, their Muslim. mistake: It is Kashmir which joined display of the tendency to enrich the Union of India on certain themselves at the cost of the poor The state’s ruler was a Hindu. He conditions. If they are to be changed and needy, the less said the better. preferred to stay away from both the people of the state have to give India and Pakistan. But he could not their consent. The Union cannot alter The fact that the National Disaster do so since the state was land the undertaking unilaterally. Omar Management Agency is still in its locked. Pakistan did sign a Standstill Abdullah’s angry reaction to formative stages three years after Agreement with him to extend all Advani’s suggestion on Kashmir its establishment brought to a sharp facilities even though he found that represents his viewpoint. His focus the lackadaisical manner in it wanted the state’s ultimate grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah, paid a which state institutions function. First integration with Pakistan. New Delhi bigger price for not letting New Delhi and foremost, the NDMA has to was against the Standstill Agreement spread itself beyond the three start functioning in earnest without since it was negotiating with the ruler, subjects. He spent 12 years in further wastage of time. Second, the Maharaja Hari Singh, to join the detention because he reminded New construction of residences, hotels Indian Union. Delhi that it could not cross the line and other structures of tourist drawn by the Instrument of infrastructure has to begin in a India was, however, prepared to Accession. leave all subjects with the state (Continued on Page 5) except foreign affairs, defence and In fact, most people in Kashmir, JANATA, July 7, 2013 3 not Jammu, want to nullify the times. It is there in the state to taken beyond foreign affairs, Instrument of Accession and they defend the borders and come to the defence and communications, the demand azadi. Many remind New assistance of civil administration in crux of Article 370. The Sheikh also Delhi Prime Minister Jawaharlal’s rare cases. But this is not accepted many other things in an promise that once things settled happening. It is there all over. Even agreement with Prime Minister down in the state, the people would the state chief minister has asked for Indira Gandhi. That agreement be asked what their choice was. its withdrawal to allow his police requires another look. Legal or other Pakistan was the alternative. Yet, function. A recent incident in which steps are not the end by themselves. those agitating against New Delhi for two civilians have died at the hands People have to be won over. New not making Nehru’s promise good of the army soldiers has enraged Delhi is doing little in that direction. forget that he himself withdrew the people and Omar Abdullah. True, offer and said that the situation had the army has ordered an inquiry and Advani’s demand for scrapping changed when Pakistan had promised to take action against Article 370 only provides fuel to the introduced in the region weapons by those soldiers who are found guilty. fire. It is, however, surprising that joining the military pacts—the Still the suspicion is that the army he made the demand. He was the CENTO and NATO—which the has taken revenge for eight jawans deputy Prime Minister in the BJP- West, led by America, had framed killed by militants. A way has to be led government which gave an against the Soviet Union during the found out to distance the civil and undertaking to its allies not to touch cold war. military sides from each other to Article 370. Even tomorrow if the avoid the combustible situations. BJP were to form the government it Notwithstanding the past, India would have to make a similar promise cannot close its eyes to the alienation One way to satisfy most people to get the support of other parties in the Kashmir Valley. It has in the state is to implement Article joining it. Then why raise the issue increased after the hanging of Afzal 370. New Delhi should consider which he knows is not acceptable to Guru.