SRINAGAR: The revival of the political process is the only answer to Jammu and Kashmir’s problems the State’s Governor Garish Saxena said in Srinagar.
While emphasizing the need to encourage political parties to work towards this end he told The Pioneer that for its part the administration and security forces were doing their best to alleviate the sense of alienation among the people.
Saxena said “the administration is well aware of the alienation among the people. This is getting top priority. We know we have to earn our good will but we have only the security forces and the civil administration to reach out to the people. We do feel handicapped because of the continuing political vacuum in the valley and the absence of any meaningful “political activity.”
The Governor said “to channelize the feelings of the people you need the involvement of political elements. The outcome of using only administrative channels and contacts that the security personnel have with the public in their area can only be limited.”
The Governor felt “in case the political parties or their cadres were active then people would also have these people to tum to apart from the administration and the popular mood would get consolidated. Also the fear of the gun would be lowered if some political activity was visible. Now the fear is a very intangible thing and it cannot be dispelled by the security forces alone.”
Saxena added “the problem of fear is also with the political leaders But we have given them the assurance that we will give them reasonable security and whatever other help is feasible. We know that eventually for any political process to acquire a meaningful dimension the resumption of political activity is a must.”
Saxena admitted that though the release of political leaders including Abdul Gani Lone and Syed Ali Shah were a part of reviving the political process it did not really prove fruitful.
On the visit of the all-party Parliamentary delegation led by Ghulam Nabi Azad he said “the visit of the delegation will be useful in the sense that Parliamentarians will become aware of the situation in the State and then we can hope that things will move in Delhi towards the restoration of the political process.”
In reply to another question he said “only elections can revive the political process. But by the resumption of political activity I mean that carefully measured and gradual resumption. No one can expect political leaders and cadres to take unacceptable risks in the process.”
“But if you have lived in a public life you have links and contacts with so many families. On occasional meetings and social gatherings you can convey a message to them.
A very important message is that a big chunk of the militants have become inactive and their hearts is not in the struggle. It is a good time to wean them away.
This militant is someone’s brother someone’s cousin someone’s brother-in-law. Even if every political cadre reaches 10 persons we will be covering a lot of ground.
He said he expected “that main stream and traditional national and regional parties to come forward.
Those people and political elements who are opposed to militancy do not dare to speak or come out openly due to lack of active leadership according to the Governor. But once politics has become active this section would support them he added.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 13, 1992
