In another victory for radical Islam, Mehbooba Mufti, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has decided to withdraw 104 cases of stone pelting on police and paramilitary forces against 634 stone pelters. One can only presume what is going through the mind of the Chief Minister when she made this decision but one can safely concur that it must have something to do with votes among other nefarious objectives.
The decision taken on the backdrop of Eid is a mockery of the sacrifices our armed forces in the region make every day to ensure our safety. It is demoralizing and dehumanizing the atrocities our armed forces have to endure in their bid to ensure normalcy in the region. The message that has been sent out here is, “You can throw stones at our armed forces as they go about performing their duty and be eligible for pardon a few years later.” The precedent that has been set here is dangerous and is a betrayal of the loyalty of our armed forces.
The move for withdrawal of cases against the stone pelters is extremely pacifistic and there’s no evidence to suggest that the move will help in any quantifiable manner whatsoever in establishing any semblance of order in the region. On the contrary, if recent history is any evidence, the move might embolden the unruly elements in the region to up their ante against our security forces.
The move which has been pushed as a gesture of goodwill by Mehbooba Mufti is based on the false premise that stone pelters are capable of comprehending the objective a goodwill gesture is meant to serve.
Such goodwill gestures must be reciprocated from the other side as well but chances are, the move will be perceived as a sign of weakness on the part of their eternal enemy and a success for their efforts.
Does pardon to Stone Pelters has the nod of BJP?
With the move, BJP’s unholy alliance with the PDP will once again comes under scrutiny. If the BJP cannot exert any influence on Mehbooba Mufti, it’s worth pondering what exactly is the meaning of such an alliance which only dents the BJP’s nationalistic credentials? And if pardon to stone pelters has the consent of the BJP, even if unwillingly, then it should seriously reconsider its claims to be a nationalist party.
With ‘Secularism’ under threat in India from all quarters, the move must have once again put a smile on the faces of the bleeding heart liberal-seculars. Such a move to appease India-haters is not only shameful but harms Indian prospects in the longer run. But the political parties in pursuit of their vote banks could hardly bother about India’s greater interests as long as their victory in the longer run is assured.
The trend of dealing with separatists using kid gloves hasn’t really helped the cause of order and stability in the region one bit. India needs to take stern action against the elements in the region which pelt stones at our armed forces because strength is the only language they understand. Any gesture of goodwill will only be perceived as a symbol of weakness and will elicit responses which won’t be in the interests of the people of Kashmir. India needs to lend its support to our armed forces and guarantee that those who act against them don’t go unpunished. Any attack on the Indian army is an attack on India and must be regarded as such. It’s time that policies of appeasement towards separatists is abandoned and India starts showcasing its strength. Because strength is the only language they understand and respect.