Abdullahs’ and Muftis’dominating mainstream politics for nearly two and a half decades now though preech security for hapless populations in Kashmir while in opposition but practice disproportionate use of power to see blood of civilians spilling on the streets while in power. Absolutely stunning it is that they never seek apologies while in power but seek apologies when out of power and more so in election time. Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister did not bother to seek apology even over a single civilian killing till the commencement of assembly elections in 2014 but immediately after the completion of his six year term Omar started seeking apologies from the people of Kashmir for allowing the then Congress led UPA Government at the centre to use all arm twisting methods for silencing gullible Kashmiris during his six year coalition rule in the state. Though Omar led NC-Congress coalition government constituted a commission of inquiry probe 120 civilian killings reported during six month long summer unrest in the year 2010 in Kashmir but it took more than six years for the commission of inquiry to submit its inquiry report to the state government last year when Mehbooba Mufti was the Chief Minister. As Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti neither bothered to made the report of the Commission of Inquiry public not dared to debate it in the assembly for the purposes of final action against the guilty. Not to talk of putting the commission of inquiry into public domain or debating it in the assembly Mehbooba Mufti as Chief Minister flatly refused to hold judicial inquiry into even a single civilian killing despite the fact that hundreds of civilians were killed during his 22 month short stint of coalition rule in the state.
Omar Abdullah years before taking over as Chief Minister used to talk about “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” but had no patience even to debate it in the public meetings after occupying the position of Chief Minister and similarly Mehbooba Mufti used to preach demilitarization when her party was in opposition but she as Chief Minister did not oppose even once the revival of cordon and search operation (CASO) which was practiced only during the seven years of governor’s rule (1989-1996) in the state.
While Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister could have set a short time frame of one or two years for the Commission of Inquiry to submit its final report on 2010 civilian killings the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti as Chief Minister could have made the Commission of Inquiry public and debated it in the assembly for the purposes final action against the guilty. Omar Abdullah years before taking over as Chief Minister used to talk about “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” immediately but had no patience even to debate it in public meetings after occupying the position of Chief Minister and similarly Mehbooba Mufti used to preach demilitarization during the reign of Omar led NC-Congress coalition government but she as Chief Minister did not opposed even once the revival of cordon and search operation (CASO) which was practiced only during the seven years of governor’s rule (1989-1996) in the state. Seeking apologies for seeking right to rule again and again shows the tendency of Mehbooba and Omar to exploit the sentiments of the people of Kashmir. People know regimes headed by Omar and Mehbooba have physically and institutionally neutralized them and apologies doughty by them in election time are purely the practices of political appeasement.
