As per media reports, the President of ‘Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement’ (JKPM) Shah Faesal on Tuesday talked to the Governor of J&K Satya Pal Malik and tried to give an impression especially to Kashmiris that JKPM is concerned with the suffering and pain of Kashmiris, who are bleeding and weeping for the last seven decades (mainly due to unresolved Kashmir problem).
However, in contrary to this photo-op enacted by JKPM, the stark reality is the fact that like other political parties from Kashmir (NC of Abdullah, PDP of Mufti, JKPC of Lone, etc.) the JKPM is also giving lip service to the cause of Kashmir solution. This is all the more unfortunate because people of J&K thought that Shah Faesal being an ex-IAS officer who left all-India prestigious central government service will show some common sense and wisdom to bring succour to the people of J&K by resolving Kashmir problem, without which there is no relief to these bleeding and weeping people.
However, what Shah Faesal did during the said meeting with Governor is nothing more than what a political leader from any other state of India (like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, etc.) would have done to bring relief to their people where there is no such gory and chronic problem like Kashmir problem (which is the cause of practically all the problems being faced by the people of J&K especially of Kashmir).
It is hoped that Shah Faesal and his party JKPM are still not completely engulfed by the ‘time-pass syndrome’ like other Kashmir political parties (such as NC, PDP, JKPC, etc.) are and it is further hoped that he and his party JKPM are still charged by desire to bring relief to suffering people of J&K especially of Kashmir. This is possible only when JKPM becomes a national political party (PMI, the Peoples Movement of India) to bring genuine secularism and Welfare State in India by filing six writ petitions (five in SCI for restoring secularism and one in J&K high Court for Kashmir solution ) as mentioned in a media report.
For establishing welfare State in India, the PMI should work for achieving minimum wages of Rs 300 for 8 working hours a day with guaranteed job to every working-age Indian by modifying MNREGA by making it for unlimited time (not for 100 days etc. per year) and by giving job to every job-seeker within a month through MNREGA. Moreover, for this and other welfare programs, PMI should work for retrieving Rs 1,000 lakh crore Income tax from 1 million tax-evaders (information from media reports) which can be used (i)- For giving relief to farmers (in addition to freeing the deserving farmers from agricultural loans which is result of un-remunerative prices for farm produce) by opening outlets, godowns, cold-storages, departmental transport, etc. of extensive Public-Distribution-System all over India which shall also provide fair and remunerative prices to farmers and (ii) For making residential and commercial buildings all over India which shall be given on rent to be decided by ‘Statutory Rent Commission’ which will also take care of the phenomenon of increased mobility in present economy of growing service sector.
In a nutshell, Shah Faesal (JKPM) needs to realise that:-
(1) Without solving Kashmir problem there is no relief to the people of J&K (especially of Kashmir)
(2) Without plebiscite (as mandated by Instrument-of-Accession) there is no Kashmir solution
(3) India will go for plebiscite only when there is a fair chance of not only Muslim Kashmir opting for Hindu majority India but also at-least PoJK opting for India (if not Pakistan showing liking to join back the Secular-Socialist/welfare-State of India).
(4) The PoJK will opt for India during plebiscite only when India becomes genuinely secular and welfare State as was expected by the people of J&K in 1947 through Late Sheikh Abdulla (their leader as mentioned in Instrument-of-Accession).
It is hoped that Shah Faesal and JKPM will understand the gravity of the situation and (instead of becoming another time-pass party in Kashmir) will try to bring relief to the weeping and bleeding people of J&K by seriously trying to solve chronic and gory Kashmir problem through plebiscite etc (as mentioned above).
-By Hem Raj Jain
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
