NEW DELHI: Former chief minister of Kashmir state Dr. Farooq Abdullah said the situation was “still retrievable” and that he had submitted “a package of measures,” to the prime minister for restoring confidence among the people.

Abdullah, who had a long meeting with prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh his third since returning from London said at a public meeting afterwards what ‘was required was goodwill on the part of the federal government and an end to state repression in the state.

The former chief minister said he had given a time frame to the government to accept these proposals which he refused to spell out.

Asked if he and his National Conference party were still relevant in the state and to which faction of the militants would they (the government and him) talk to, Dr. Abdullah said both his party and the Congress J still had the cadres. He said only those militants who believed in solving of the problem within the Indian framework would be talked to.

He said, “There is JKLF and those Jamaat supported groups, whom he refused to name.

“We will talk to militants who want solution within the Indian constitution. To others we will say goodbye.

Dr. Abdullah said what was needed at the moment was that all political parties -the Congress (I), BJP, left parties and others –should rise above party politics.

Tunkur;

 Dalits of Vallur village in Pavagada Taluk have said that they would migrate if the present treatment meted out to them continued. In a complaint to DSP, Y.R. Patil, they alleged that Hindus in the village had refused to sell them food and tailors refused to stich their clothes. When some Harijan youth had gone to Pavagada town to buy essential commodities, they were assaulted by the Hindus, they said. (Indian Express Bangalore April 21)

Calcutta:

Amnesty International, the independent movement for the international protection of human rights, has invited appeals from individuals across the world to protest what it says “possible extra-judicial executions” in the trouble-tom Jammu and Kashmir (J and K).

 Ina report titled “extra May 23, Amnesty International express concern over Indian security forces alleged tendency to “resort indiscriminate use of firearms when faced with unarmed demonstrators”. The slim report in support of its contention, cities the incident on May 12,1990 in which Judicial executions” date dozens were killed in Srinagar when the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) allegedly opened fire indiscriminately on the moumers accompanying the body of Maulana Mohammed Farooq, head priest of Srinagar, who had been shot earlier by three unidentified gunmen, Lamenting the lack of response from the Indian Government to its appeals, Amnesty in the Report, express the fear that in the absence of measures to prevent excessive use of force during crowd control, “extra-judicial executions of unarmed demonstrators may continue in-J and-K.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 31, 1990