Drop gun, Join talks: Guv tells militants

Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday while urging militants to give up arms asked them to hold talks with him stating that dialogue within the ambit of constitution is the only way through which they can get their issues resolved amicably. He said India cannot be made to bow through violence as the country was itself a super power on both military and economic fronts.
“Take everything from us, we will give our life, but through love and dialogue. For that (PM) Narendra Modi is ready, we are ready. Come to the dialogue table and take it forward,” Satya Pal Malik said at a marathon press briefing on the achievements of his administration.
“Give up arms, let’s sit together and talk.” Malik was addressing a press conference at SKICC, on the banks of Dal Lake here. He was flanked by all his advisors and also the Chief Secretary BVR Subramanyam.
“Whatever you want can be achieved through talks and dialogue. You have your own constitution, you have a separate flag. Whatever more you want, you will get it through the democratic process and within the ambit of the Indian Constitution.”
The governor said the militants may not realise it now, but ten years down the line they will repent that they chose the wrong path. “You cannot make India to bow through violence,” Satya Pal Malik said.
Malik said the problem of militancy exists in Kashmir not only due to unemployment among youth, but also because politicians have been misleading the people for the past several decades. “There is unemployment across the country but unemployed people [elsewhere] in the country do not pick up weapons against the government.
There is something more here. The basic thing here is that the leaders have not told people the truth. People have been misled and shown false dreams, which will never be fulfilled,” Malik said.
Satya Pal Malik said the people have been shown the dream of ‘azadi’ (independence) and sometimes that of autonomy. “When these things did not work, they were shown the dreams of paradise through radicalisation. I want to tell the youth that they have two paradises — one is Kashmir and if they become good Muslims, they will get the other one also,” he said.
Speaking about the presence of the Islamic State in Kashmir, the governor said, “These are ways of destruction of Kashmir.” Malik exhorted the youth to give up arms. “I want to tell the youth of Kashmir, drop your guns and come to Raj Bhawan to have lunch with me. Then explain to me what good Kashmir will get from the path you have chosen,” Malik said.
He called on the political leaders to help bring back the youth to the mainstream society. “They have to muster the courage and tell them. I request the mainstream leaders, preachers and intelligentia to bring back these youth (to the mainstream) and whatever is needed for their rehabilitation, we will do it,” Satya Pal Malik said.
Asked about Pakistan’s role in the situation in Kashmir, Malik said the neighbouring country is in trouble. “There is a realisation (in Pakistan) there that we cannot fool the youth of Kashmir for too long (saying) that we will break India to give you something. (Gen Pervez) Musharraf had told the (Kashmiri) leaders here that he cannot do it as India is a superpower,” Malik said.
On the militant recruitment, he said: “Recruitment (of militants) has come down. A big reason for that is that we have adopted a sympathetic attitude towards our youth. I believe that the Kashmir problem will be solved through these youth only.”.
Asked about the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said the time to hold the polls will be decided by the Election Commission (EC). “It is between the Union Home Ministry and the Election Commission. I cannot comment on this. If the security we require for holding elections is provided to us, we are ready to hold the elections. We have held peaceful elections (panchayat and parliamentary) but for assembly elections, the security requirements are different,” he said.
Responding to a question about the challenge to Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution, Malik said promises to this effect have been made in the manifestos of many political parties and there is a lot of talk about it, but there is “nothing to worry about” on this front.
He also dismissed the reports about delimitation of assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir as “rumours”. “There is a rumour about delimitation, it is not something that can be done overnight as it is a constitutional matter. Even the Home Ministry has not confirmed that they are doing something like this. There are basically just rumours and newspaper reports only, there is no basis to these,” Malik said.