Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal Additional General Secretary J&K National Conference while expressing sorrow at the loss of soldiers in the ‘fidayeen attack’ at Uri on 18th instant has appealed for calm and sagacity on the part of Indian and Pakistani leadership in their reaction to this major attack the tenth such since 1999 in which 82 soldiers lost their life, the highest of 22 Soldiers being at Kaluchak (Jammu) on 14thMay, 2002.In a statement issued to KNS, he said that if Army had not been involved in law and order duty and other civilian affairs like the much hipped & touted “ Sadhbawan” scheme since 1990 this dastardly incident, in all probability , would not have happened .“We must admit that because of this diversion of the Army from its mandated job vigil on the borders has been the casualty. The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on one of his visits to Srinagar had said the great institution of the Army will suffer if kept on civilian job /duty for prolonged period,” Mustafa said.“How right he was! Government of India should seriously consider taking Army off civilian duty including law and order matters confining it strictly to guarding the borders. This will on one hand make infiltration attempts well neigh impossible and on the other hand make the repugnant AFSPA law, a legacy of the Raj days, redundant,” he added
Mustafa said that it is because of this law Army has brazenly committed spine chilling crimes in J&K since last 26 years be it the killings in cold blood of 35 Sikhs of Chittisingpora ( Anantnag ) , Fake encounter at Pathribal of six civilians as cover-up established by CBI and the Apex court, Gang rape in Konanposhpora in which an 80 year old woman was also not spared and the Machell encounter of killing four school going kids playing cricket to mention just a few among scores of incidents of murder, rape, arson and destruction. Indirect hand of the Army in the killing of 120 old protestors in 2010 at Srinagar through an ex-Minister of the State has also been established.In the interest of regional stability and world peace GOI should cultivate friendship with Pakistan and “bury the hatchet” for hatred begets hatred and love begets love. The animosity between the two inherited as legacy of partition in 1947 be given a decent burial by resolving the Kashmir issue in a spirit of mutual trust, confidence and its historic background amicably to the satisfaction of India, Pakistan and J&K ( on both sides of LOC including part ceded to china by Pakistan ) . With this the main and probably the only irritant and “Bone of contention” will be eliminated for good.India as a big and powerful country is expected to play a leading role as Big brother in the region; should shun intransigence and show magnanimity to establish peace and friendship. There is no alternative to peace.Kamaal also paid tributes to the dead soldiers who lost their life for no fault of theirs. But for the “politician” and to some extent the local Army command this may well not have happened. (KNS)