Civilian killings in alienated Kashmir

Yet again the issue of civilian killings is catching the attention of human rights activists and the peace lovers within and outside Jammu & Kashmir state but yet again the governor’s administration turns a blind eye to the occurrence and re-occurrence of the incidents of civilian killings. Keeping in view the experiences of crowd control policing and anti-militancy operation in last few year the undeniable fact is that turning a blind eye to unprecedented increase in the frequency of civilian killings could trigger yet another bloody summer in Kashmir valley. Keeping in view the timing of Eid Ul Fitr and commencement of the annual amaranth yatra the policy of restraint guided by the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) should have been supervised by the controlling authorities overseeing the conduct of cordon and search operations against the militants in Kashmir valley . The shocking silence of the government over the killings of civilians in Pattan, Pulwama and Bhaderwah is not heading to any dead end as the increasing alienation is throwing up huge challenges to the mainstream political parties already discredited by an unprecedented low turnout in the recently held parliamentary elections in all the three parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir valley–Baramulla, Srinagar and Anantnag. Ironically the governor’s administration does not bother even to look into the causes of the killings of civilians.
Turning a deaf ear to the demands for probe into the killing of civilians in Pattan, Pulawama and Bhaderwah by the top mainstream political parties apparently shows the unwillingness of the governor’s administration to end the non-stop tale of pain and agony in Kashmir. Till the fresh elections are held and a popular government takes over the reigns of the power in the state, the governor’s administration has to take care of the security of life and property of the people and as such the killing of civilians either in crowd control policing or in encounters have to be stopped . Forget about the political concessions that the people of Kashmir seek from the central government for stabilization of the atmosphere of peace and security in the state, the governor’s administration can’t be a mute spectator to the continuing spree of the killing of civilians in restive parts of Kashmir valley . Tragedy with the people of Kashmir is that mainstream political parties’ who claim to be the champions of representative politics never bother to seek answers to questions concerning the life and property of the people. The situation developing in Kashmir has rendered the actors of poll politics irrelevant and to revive the process of the restoration of popular rule in the state the governor’s administration will have to take measures for restoring the faith of people in the working of justice delivery system in the state.