http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nobody-believes-Omar-has-a-grip-on-the-state/articleshow/6263765.cms
Comments posted on Times of India website under article: Nobody believes Omar has a grip on the state: Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai (Mumbai, India) 06/08/2010 at 11:25 am The situation in Kashmir harks back to the time, when Gandhiji felt, the alienaton of Muslims should be addressed by appointing Jinnah as Prime Minister of United India. Naturally, the top Congress cotories never agreed and India not only suffered partition, but enormous bloodshed, wars and a future that can hardly be called secure. In Kashmir, as Abdullah cannot bring peace even at the cost of 50 protestors dying within a short span of time and in comparision, Ahmed Shah Geelani has come out with high moral ground to advise Kashmiris to shun violence and go peaceful, it is time, Central leaders should rise above politics that is like a noose around India's neck, think out of the box and offer Chief Ministership of Jammu and Kashmir to Geelani. I am sure with the responsibility of the masses on his shoulder, he will bring peace and justice to the beleagured state. Agree (2)Disagree (3)Recommend (1)Offensive Read more: Nobody believes Omar has a grip on the state - India - The Times of India<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nobody-believes-Omar-has-a-grip-on-the-state/articleshow/6263765.cms#ixzz0vo3yOsRL> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nobody-believes-Omar-has-a-grip-on-the-state/articleshow/6263765.cms#ixzz0vo3yOsRL Nobody believes Omar has a grip on the stateArati R Jerath & M Saleem Pandit, TNN, Aug 6, 2010, 03.50am IST *SRINAGAR: Just when it seemed that OmarAbdullah had made a decisive intervention for peace by reaching out to Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the situation threatened to slip out of his grasp as security forces failed to buy into his initiative. On Thursday, they fired on demonstrators again, this time in Pulwama in south Kashmir, killing one and critically injuring another. The incident could seriously upset efforts to restore calm in the Valley and once more raises the question: Is Omar really in control? Geelani, who only a day before had given Omar a breather with an appeal for non-violent protests, kept the window open for the CM by shifting blame for Thursday’s death on the central government. "Omar is a powerless person. Why are you making light of the situation by bringing him into it?" he told TOI. "It's for the Indian government to restrain security forces. What happened today shows that state terrorism is increasing." But analysts feel Omar cannot escape responsibility because he is the man in the hot seat. Geelani took a risk by appealing for peace. Analysts say Omar should have reciprocated with a signal that he would consider removing the main target of people's anger, the CRPF, which is being blamed for most of the nearly 50 deaths in the past 56 days.An aide in Omar's office said that they want to see the impact of Geelani's appeal before they reduce **CRPF*<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/search?q=CRPF> * presence. Unfortunately, it may be too late then. The delay could cost Geelani politically and force him to raise the ante again. It is going to be tough for Omar to deliver. People have lost confidence in him. The anger against him was visible when he was collared and heckled by weeping mothers at a Srinagar hospital on Thursday. A similar mood seems to have crept into the administration with government employees shirking work in the belief that he may not survive the present crisis. A government source who spoke on condition of anonymity said some in the administration, including the police, are hedging their bets by keeping channels to the PDP open, just in case. Another source blamed Omar for sending conflicting signals to security forces by talking about restraint and tough action in the same breath. Most of the time, the police seem to be acting on their own because they are unsure what their orders are. What is surprising is that even curfew is not being strictly implemented, even in Srinagar, with police pickets looking the other way as people stray out of their homes. It doesn't take long for a mob to gather and a fight to begin between the crowd and security forces. More often than not, it ends in firing and a death, which causes more anger and the cycle of violence continues. * -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
