DID OMAR FAIL TO DELIVER?

TAWQEER HUSSAIN
Hopes were generated among the general masses, when the youngest ever chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah took oath on January 5 this year, it was seen as a welcome step as he being young could understand the problems faced by the young educated but unemployed people.
If the six months tenure of the coalition government is seen and examined, several questions emerge and eye brows raised over the performance of the government by the observers. The situation demands immediate attention of the Chief Minister, else people will come out on the roads in coming months. Now the question arises, Did Omar fail to deliver? Or is he being victimised by the political and pressure groups who don't want the state to be brought back on developmental platform.
Political analysts believe that it is too early to raise eye brows on the functioning of the six months old government as the tenure of young CM is witnessing protest after protest which keeps government on back foot. Just after three days of assuming the charge, the first blow to the new government was the killing of deaf and dumb person at the vicinity of the CM's residence in Srinagar. The incident started the present government's dark era. The killing was condemned by everyone. Then the process starts - Bandipora, Kupwara, Sopore, Shopian, Baramulla boiled and thus the whole Kashmir once again came to streets demonstrating against government. Fifteen civilians are killed so far in the recent crisis. With every killing questions are raised and hopes diminish.
The shifting of Bomai Sopore camp, where army personnel allegedly murdered two local youths although generated that hope again but the mishandling of protests by police and civil administration once again kept whole Kashmir on boil and government on its toes. Then came the darkest era of the six months in Omar led government. The double rape and murder of two Shopian girls, Asiya and Neelofer made Kashmir to come on streets to get justice. The first statement of CM Omar Abdullah asserting the deaths by drowning added fuel to the already burning Kashmir; however CM retracted later by saying 'something happened in Shopian.' Three days later when forensic experts confirmed rape and murder, forcing police to register the case, Omar did not take any action against the officers for misleading and misinforming him. Rather, he got angry with himself for not remaining quiet in that press conference.
"I should have said no comments when I was asked about the cause of death of two women," CM Omar Abdullah was quoted by Hindustan Times recently. It is quite astonishing how Omar swallowed such humiliation at the hands of his own officers and rather punishing them, he wanted to remain silent. The suspension of four police officers the then SP Shopian Javaid Iqbal, DSP Rohit Baskotra, SHO shafiq ahmad and SI Gazi Abdul Karim and their arrest by the orders of high court has somehow stabilized the situation, but question is still there, fifteen deaths in six months. Did Omar fail to deliver?
Political observers and analysts believe that until the administration both police and civil is not over hauled in the state no government can succeed in its mission of making Jammu and Kashmir a prosperous one. They believe that it is early to raise such question as every government took at least six months to review the older one and formulate the new strategies. "The chief minister cannot perform alone; he needs an honest team of officers both in civil and police. Other wise like other chief ministers, he will also be rated as one who made promises and sketched dreams that will never come true," says Farooq A Ganai a senior journalist and political analyst from Jammu. Referring to recent protests across Kashmir, Ganai said Kashmir has been witnessing the same since 1947 and the day butchers of the state and elsewhere in the world will stop selling red blood in green bottles, people have to suffer for one or the other reasons. "It is too early to answer such question, as every government takes at least six months to review his strategies and makes way for development" said Farooq Ganai.
Commenting about Omar Abdullah's vision, he said, Omar too had dreams to develop Kashmir, uplift youth and resume peace process, but those politicians who want to see Kashmir in news for all bad developments will not support him in development of the state. Omar's first six months rule has been divided into elections, code of conduct and protests and during this time, people have not seen the fruits of democratic government. Every government has pressure groups which work both for and against the government. But in Kashmir, pressure groups work only against the government and create fuss, thus hindering the development and democratic setup.
The leaders of Opposition, however, allege that the Omar led government has failed to deliver goods to the people and said that people are suffering in absence of even basic amenities. "Where are the Omar's big promises of providing good government to the people when they (masses) are suffering for even a drop of water to drink and power remains off in almost all the areas," they say. People don't want to hear about the dreams; they need immediate redressal of their problems.
However, a minister in the coalition government blames political parties for creating unnecessary hurdles in running the government by instigating people over even minor issues for getting political mileage out it. With allegations and counter allegations people of Kashmir are not going to be benefited at all, they need respite from what they are facing, unemployed needs to be given attention and those suffering for even basic amenities are to be given adequate supply of essential commodities. Omar Abdullah should feel the pain and agony of the people they are under going these days and should take immediate steps to bridge the gap between the officials and people.
Government officials should be made accountable and police should be asked to maintain restrain while dealing the law and order situation in the state. In short one should feel sense of responsibility, howsoever high he is and whatsoever post he is holding and the people should also contribute from their side while maintaining peace and let the government function smoothly.
http://www.kashmirtimes.com/archive/0908/090801/feature.htm