NEW DELHI: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress(I) Sept. 4, asked the Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, to declare amnesty for all militants, barring those charged ‘with militant crimes, as a prelude tocreating conducive atmosphere for holding assembly polls in the sensitive border state by the yearend, “The demand for amnesty was made by Ghulam Rasool Kar and Mangat Ram Sharma, president and general secretary of the PCC(I) respectively. During their long discussions with the prime minister, the two leaders also suggested that the Center should initiate dialogue with the “liberal and willing groups” among militant outfits, They also favored holding of assembly elections cither in November or December this year, ‘According to Kar, the prime minister assured them that the Center would fully cooperate with the state administration in restoring peace and rehabilitating the migrants who had left the Valley out of fear. The deliberations are considered significant as they were held against the backdrop of efforts of the PCC(I) to revive political activities as well as clear indications that the militants

Were equally determined to thwart ever effort for the restoration of the democratic process.

While the PCC(I) has signaled its intention by issuing a warning to the militants at fairly well attended rallies, the militants publicized their intent both by organizing a blast in Srinagar as well as by snapping the dialogue with the state government for the release of the western hostages.

The initiative of the PCC(I) leadership is being seen as having been prompted by the Congress(I)’s desperation to hold elections in J&K and thus, gain a significant talking point for the coming election. The compulsion, though always there in view of the Rao government’s alleged lackluster performance, has creased substantially after the killing of the Punjab chief minister, Beant Singh. The killing is unlikely to lead to the return of militancy, at least in the near future, in Punjab but it has knocked the bottom out of the Congress(I)’s claim of having quelled the terror forever. Any breakthrough in Kashmir, however, is expected to more than offset the loss in Punjab.

It certainly appears to be quite an ambitious gambit, considering the frequent displays of their striking power by the militant outfits. Both the blast in the relatively safe environs of Srinagar’s Residency Road today as well as the earlier destruction of the harief are sufficient proof of the militants determination to remind both the authorities as well as populace of their presence and their determination to go to any extent for ensuring that the Valley remains on the boil, Nevertheless, the prime minister is bound to feel encouraged by the assessment of the army, which has practically taken over the entire state, and also his own party men from J&K.

While the army is reported to be confident of its ability to carry outils assignment of ensuring the conduct of polls, Mr. Kar told the prime minister that people are tired of violence. They also suggested appointment of a few local retired civil servants and political leaders as advisers to the governor. Their other suggestion pertained to the revamp of administrative machinery and employment schemes for coopting the local population.

Article extracted from this publication >>September 8, 1995