Former Minister Babu Singh on Thursday sounded a word of caution for New Delhi over the future handling of the situation by it in Kashmir, underling that “if the military was given a free hand, the things would go out of hand.” Talking to GNS, the former power minister, who founded his own party— ‘Nature, Man Kind Friendly Global Party’—after quitting Congress, also said that split between PDP and BJP was not sudden “an impression is being created” but a well-thought-out plan to “convert present wave of freedom into election campaign wave ahead of 2019 elections.”He said that Kashmir was an international dispute which can be resolved trilaterally among India, Pakistan, and people of Jammu and Kashmir. “There can be no military solution to Kashmir and it can only be resolved through dialogue so that a solution is arrived at which is acceptable to all three parties.” He said militancy in Kashmir has increased to present level and “there is a civil war like situation and PDP and BJP is directly involved in it.”The governor’s rule, he said, was imposed only to crush people and create an atmosphere for peace “through the barrel of the gun”. “There is no difference between militants and civilians before the government as such people are now mentally ready for war.”He said that if the military was given free hand, the things would go out of hand and there is need to create the conducive atmosphere for dialogue. “There should be the 2003-like situation on borders and LOC. There should be Indo-Pak summit and it cannot be done at the level of DGMOs. There should be the ceasefire between militants and internal security and only then things will be better”.
Hitting out of PDP and BJP over their “faulty” policy, he said that both parties resorted to cheap politics for power. Singh said that boycott call given by the pro-freedom leaders in Kashmir did not evoke a good response because PDP with its soft separatism policy deceived people and won 28 seats only to form the coalition with BJP despite its claims that it was the only party which can stop BJP from coming into power in the state. “Kashmir got a shock and its repercussions are now visible.”He said while PDP betrayed people of Kashmir, BJP did it in Jammu. “This alliance led to absolute destruction in last three years. They used Israeli pellet guns. When I was the minister in 2003, I would go to any place without security and move freely wherever I wanted to go. Can any minister move around freely? The answer has to be a big no.”He said that BJP stand on Kashmir right from the beginning remained unrealistic and faulty. “BJP always wanted to erode the autonomous status of the state. Even establishment created PDP when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister and L K Advani was Home Minister and it is the creation of the establishment.”He said that BJP actually wanted to have the coalition with the National Conference and plan did not work out after BJP failed to manage substantial seats in Jammu region then. “After land row, BJP started to communalize the situation and won 11 seats in 2008 and in the last election it got its tally to 25,” he said, adding, “Even during NC and Congress regime, the centre’s policy remained wrong and there were more than 110 civilian killings and PDP sought to capitalize the situation by slogans of healing touch, ‘Goli Se Nahi, Baat Banage Gi Booli Se’, then it floated confused slogan of ‘self rule’ and it was the only party which will stop BJP from coming into power from Kashmir.”
In 2014, BJP said that there will be only Hindu CM and sought to communalize the situation again. “Even Prime Minister Modi said in a speech that we have ended Rahul, Sonia ‘raj’ at centre and now we will end father-daughter and father-son raj in Jammu and Kashmir. Then see the character of the PM who retracted and formed the coalition with the PDP.” From 2003 to 2008, he said, there were no skirmishes on border and people lived peacefully and “see the condition today. The situation turned to worse and see it today.” Post killing of Burhan Wani in 2016, he said, Mehbooba Mufti would say that only 5% people create the disturbance at the behest of Pakistan. “See how PDP chief changed. Prior to it, she would move everywhere and now she is a puppet and cannot even move an inch without security. She could not answer why 7 lakhs troops are here.”He said that PDP, BJP alliance break down was nothing but a well though-out-plan and an attempt to “convert present wave for freedom into election campaign wave ahead of 2019.”Singh said everyone knows that there was nothing between PDP and BJP which would result in breakdown given what parties joined hands. “This so-called sudden and surprise split is nothing but a well planned and thought-out plan and only to befool people.” Singh also demanded immediate dissolving of state legislative assembly. (GNS)