Will the three-day visit of Union home minister Amit Shah to Jammu and Kashmir instill the confidence among people of the valley. This is Shah first visit to the union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. He was the chief architect of the move to deny the valley its privileged status. As such, he is seen as villain of the peace in the valley.
The visit comes at a time when there is sudden escalation of 'targeted killings'. Recently migrants workers were killed by the terrorists. Virender Paswan, a street vendor from Bihar's Bhagalpur; and Mohammad Shafi Lone, head of a taxi union in Bandipora district – were killed in terror attacks besides killing Makhan Lal Bindroo, a Kashmiri Pandit and well-known pharmacist of Srinagar. Sagir Ahmad, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh was also killed. The Resistance Front, a front of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has claimed responsibility for these killings.
Undoubtedly, this is a new phenomenon in Kashmir to scare the migrants. Eleven civilians, including migrant labourers, have been killed this month so far. Many migrants have left Kashmir vallet after the 'targeted killings'.
Amid heightened security, a 20-km radius around Raj Bhavan on Gupkar road has been fortified. Union Home Minister will be
will be camping here for three days, Snipers, Drones and Sharpshooters have been deployed at every point of this 20-km radius. More than 700 people have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir, including a few under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).
The detentions have been made particularly in South Kashmir.Many over ground workers of terrorist groups were among those picked up by the police. Under the PSA, unique to Jammu & Kashmir, an individual can be detained on the basis of an executive order for a maximum of two years, without trial, if their activities are prejudicial to the security of the State or the maintenance of public order.
Officials in plain clothes will monitor areas across Srinagar to track terrorists and those helping them spread terror. At least 10 CRPF companies and 15 BSF teams from Delhi have been deployed in Srinagar.
Some traffic restrictions were also enforced in Srinagar city. Those driving two-wheeler are subjected to intensive security checks. Pat-down searches of passengers and shoppers were intensified in marketplaces.
The visit of Union Home Minister or for that matter of any VVIP to any place never goes down well with the public. Instead of providing any relief to the public, such visits only cause more hardships. And in a highly sensitive and violence hit area like Jammu & Kashmir, visit of a VVIP is seen by people as wastage of public money to drive political mileage out of it.
Despite getting massive financial aid, the situation in Kashmir valley has gone from bad to worse since the last Kashmir visit of Prime Minister in Feb.2019. PM Modi had visited Leh, Srinagar and Jammu- three important regions of the J&K. PM visit was aimed at instilling the confidence of the people. PM Modi had visited Leh, Srinagar and Jammu- all important regions of the J&K.
Data shows that Jammu and Kashmir had received 10 per cent of tax payers' money for its just one per cent of country's population in the last 70 years of autonomy. However, its economy has remained fragile. Only terrorism and debt both have flourished even after substantial financial assistance from the Centre.
The per capita central assistance for J&K was not only the highest but was more than double the average of the rest of the Indian states. J&K has received Rs 117 per head of its population against an average of Rs 57 for the remaining states.
But there is also hard reality that this massive aid hasn't been percolated down to the people. More than 90 percent of it has been swindled away by the corrupt politicians and 'babus'. All this has created more heart burning among people and the result is that they don't believe the political leaders
As of now the problem of the Kashmiri people is that they feel cheated by the saffron party after the abrogation of Article 370 and nothing can heal their deep wounds except restoration of this spacial status and full statehood to Jammu & Kashmir.
(Chander Sharma)
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