THE CARAVAN OF PEACE OR DECEPTION?
RAMESH MANVATI

The humanitarian angle of uniting of the divided families separated by unfortunate political upheavals, across the borders by any just and legal  means including the current Indo-Pak bus service via Muzzaffrabad should be welcomed by all right thinking people across the country. And more opportunities should be provided for such unions.

However the politicization of this measure and the huge media hype this entire process has received should be a matter of concern .Expecting things to normalize in the trouble torn state of J&K in the days to come, by this measure , is perhaps a stark reflection of ignorance of the ground realities on the part of those who harp on this ‘potentially volatile step’ taken by Govt. of India -as a big achievement. The govt. must trudge with great caution while considering the opening of more routes across the borders as it surely is going to pose a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of our nation. One cannot rule out the demand for granting of  complete ‘Independence’ for ‘undivided’ Kashmir gaining momentum and more teeth in  the days to come considering the prevailing  discontentment among  the people living in PAK  occupied areas and the role of international  forces , working overtime, to gain a foothold in this part of the world.

The fact that nearly four hundred thousand Kashmiri Pandits  have been forced to live a life of refugees, within their own country, for the last fifteen years away from their ancestral homeland, can  just not be ignored. Besides the terrorist infrastructure across the LOC is still intact- as has been confirmed , recently, by the Indian foreign minister and  the Army Chief . Presence of a  huge quantity of arms and ammunitions still ,within the valley, is a matter of grave concern. Nearly 1000 kg ( one thousand ) of lethal RDX has been recovered by the securities agencies in the valley during the last six months only. This high grade and extremely destructive explosive material , 250 gm (grams) of which are enough to destroy a car, is not easy to obtain except through govt. channels, and in this case which govt. was the provider can be any body’s guess . In addition to killings of scores of innocent civilians , 1575 soldiers, including 102 officers and 118 junior commissioned officers, have achieved martyrdom  during the last three years alone ( ending Dec. 2004 ) in the state ,  is a sad reality .

That, in Kashmir ,the militants can strike at will, especially in  an area  supposed to be most secured and sensitized one , and at a time when entire  government  might is in action, is a grim reality as has been demonstrated by the militants time and again in the past .Just as a journey down the memory lane  - the militants managed with ease to force the state govt. to reschedule , at the last moment ,  Dr.Manmohan Singh’s public rally in Srinagar,  in spite of a three- tier security system in place,  during his maiden  visit to the valley in Nov. 2004 after becoming the Prime Minister.  The latest successful demonstration by the secessionist elements  in hogging the national and  international media limelight  by attacking , in broad day light ,the Tourist Reception Center in Srinagar, housing the Muzzafarabad bound passengers just hours before scheduled departure of the so called ‘Journey Of Peace’ bus service ,in over five decades between two warring - neighborly nations,  should be a  compelling enough reason for the Indian security, political and diplomatic think tank to sit up and take note of.

That the buses have managed to cross over the borders safely must understandably  have been a great welcome relief  for the passengers and their kith and kin . But sadly India has once again been outwitted.  One could clearly see huge Pakistani flags and a sign of Qaede Azam ,erected with great elegance ,on  P.O.K side of AMAN SETU  at LOC on the D-Day , under full glaze of national and international media , but not a single Indian Tri-color  could be seen on Indian side- leave alone the picture of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi -the great apostle of peace. Surely the Indian policy makers owe an explanation to the people. How long can the bitter hard facts be wrapped under the carpet?