Pulwama attack: Can’t declare war by popular demand, says Omar Abdullah

National Conference vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah is aiming to cruise to power this time round. Omar, 49, who is the chief ministerial candidate of National Conference, spoke to DNA about Pulwama, its aftermath, war hysteria, elections et al. Excerpts:

DNA: Pulwama attack has created lot of anger outside the state?

Omar: I can understand the anger. Forty people killed. Under these circumstances anger is a natural reaction. But the anger is misplaced. Anger is being directed against the people who had nothing to do with this attack. First and foremost, no less a person then governor of J&K who in his own words told television channels `Laparwahi hui hai (there has been carelessness). Who was careless? Who was responsible for this Laparwahi as he put it? Because they are the people who need to be held accountable for what happened in Pulwama. Who are the people you are attacking? You are attacking students, traders, employees, who are trying to make future for themselves in the rest of the country. You are holding them responsible for something they had nothing to do with. And the people who are responsible for the failure of intelligence and security, nothing is being done there.

DNA:  Don’t you think it will alienate the Kashmiris?

Omar: Of course it adds to alienation. Why will it not add?  Those people who have nothing to do with politics and problem in Jammu and Kashmir, all they are interested in is studying or earning money and keeping out of trouble. You are forcing them into trouble. You are sending them back home under the worst possible circumstances.  If they are not going to be alienated then what will they be? God forbid if one of these youngsters tomorrow becomes a stone pelter or even picks up the gun, who is responsible? You have thrown out people who were beneficiaries of the PM scholarship. You are compounding the problem.

DNA: There is panic on streets of Kashmir valley. Nobody has answers for that?

Omar:  Series of the orders the government have issued resulted in this panic situation.  You issue an order that all medical supplies should reach the places. Food supplies must reach. You shut fuel sales to civilian vehicles. Then you issue an order to armed police saying please be prepared for any eventuality and law and order disturbance. Even the pipe band of police is disbanded. And you say the band will also be involved in law and order duties. Obviously people will start panicking. We all got worried.

DNA: Do you foresee any mischief being played on Article 35 A and Article 370?

Omar:  Mischief is possible. Anybody can play mischief. Does that mean I believe that mischief is going to be done? I don’t. I believe that given the position that the governor has taken in the Supreme Court that this matter should be put on hold until elected government is in place. With the recent experience in Aurnachal Pradesh. Now comparative to Jammu and Kashmir, Aurnachal Pradesh is far more peaceful state. Look at what it is going through today, why? Because you made minor changes to their permanent resident certificate rules and that place is on fire. Can you imagine if you make major changes to Article 35 A or you strike it down, what will happen here? Is government of India ready to deal with such a situation? I do not believe they will do it.

DNA: Then why are they sending 100 companies of CAPFs when elections are three months away?

Omar:  That logic that these are being moved for elections and then you move them in such a hurry does not make sense. But I believe that government was planning something else that they shelved. But it was not Article 35 A. There were other things which were being contemplated which have now have been put on the backburner.

DNA: What about the war hysteria being created?

Omar:  This war hysteria is being created largely in television studios. I think people need to be bit more sensible. You watch television news channels that generate war hysteria. I have not seen war hysteria from the Prime Minister. In fact if anything the PM has walked steps back from his original position. Where he originally said I will give `Moh Tod Jawab’ (befitting reply). He now tells Imran Khan that you are the son of Pathan and let us see you are true to your word. I will give you time. When the Prime Minister is not drumming war drums, when the defence minister and home minister are not beating war drums, why are war drums being beaten in television studios?  Those who have not donned uniform, those who will never wear uniforms, it is very easy for them to talk of war.

DNA: Is it then for deferring the polls in J&K?

Omar:  To defer polls dates more so in the aftermath of Pulwama attack will be to accept that those forces have won. The general population in the state wants the return of civilian government. Even in Kashmir valley they do not want governor’s rule and they want elected government no matter who forms it. The only people who do not want elections are separatists and militant organizations. If you are unable to conduct polls today, who has won? That Prime Minister Modi has to answer.

DNA: People across the country want action against Pakistan after Pulwama attack? What is your advice to the government?

Omar: No government can declare war just because there is public demand. Any conflict is to be wade in terms of its strategic impact for the country and that is it.  Prime Minister strategic advisors need to decide how to respond to current situation. War cannot be decided in TV studies. It can’t be decided on twitter and it cannot be decided in processions on the streets.

DNA: Do you see surgical strikes 2.0?

Omar: I think it is important to ask yourself a strike against what and who. Please understand when you struck in September in the aftermath of Uri it was in the height of infiltration season. The launch pads were active. Militant camps were active. The passes were open and you had targets available for the surgical strikes. Today is the month of February and you had a record snowfall this season. There is no infiltration nowhere in winter. Your launch pads are either abandoned or under snow.. You militant camps are empty. What will you strike surgically today?

DNA:  Speculations galore that something is going to happen?

Omar: Elections are the worst reason to launch an attack. You launch attacks for strategic reasons. You do not launch attacks for electoral reasons. Government of India is well within its rights to respond as it sees fit to what happened in Pulwama. My limited point is that this is not September 2016. The response must be for strategic reasons and not for political or electoral reasons. You cannot put India at risk of war. Please remember Imran Khan has said that Pakistan will not just think of responding but Pakistan will respond. Therefore you cannot put India at risk of war simply for electoral reasons. My point is that a response should be in India’s strategic interests not in BJP’s political interests

DNA: What about crackdown on separatists?

Omar:  Obviously it is something that needs to be explained. Why Jamaat-e-Islami suddenly? The organization that took responsibility for Pulwama is Jaish-e-Mohommad (JeM) which is based in Pakistan. As far I know there is no linkage between JeM and Jamaat-e-Islami. I fail to understand why suddenly this onslaught against Jamaat-e-Islami. That is something governor and administration needs to explain. In worst of the times and I was chief minister for six years, we never had clampdown like this.

DNA:  You recently raised question marks about the isolation of Pakistan?

Omar:  Where is the question of isolating Pakistan when in our joint statement with Saudi Arabia, we ourselves have said that conditions conducive for resumption of dialogue should be created. Just yesterday PM Modi, External Affairs Minister Shushma Swaraj received MP from Imran Khan’s political party who is functioning as emissary between the two sides. Where is the isolation? We ourselves are engaged in the dialogue with them. Did we not receive that MP and publically acknowledge our meetings with him? Of course we did so what isolation.

DNA: Since Election Commission is coming next month, will you press for early polls?

Omar: We have made no secret of the fact that J&K deserves and people want an elected government at the earliest. I have said it before I will say it now. Mehbooba Mufti has made lot of mistakes in her time. One of the biggest mistakes she made was plunge the state into uncertainty by not recommending to Governor Vohra the dissolution of the assembly when she resigned. Today the situation would not have been like this. Neither we would have been fighting over Article 35 A nor would have been there the atmosphere of fear, had Mehbooba Mufti recommended dissolution. Things would have been very different and we would have gone to polls with Telengana and other states.  

DNA: Elections are due but there is no clarity whether assembly and parliament polls will be held together or separately. What is your take?

Omar: Quite simply it is for Prime Minister Modi to send a signal to the country as to how he and his government have handled Jammu and Kashmir. There has never been post 1996 a scenario where parliament assembly elections have been delayed other than the by elections for the Anantnag seat which we know why it was done. That was done purely to save then chief minister’s brother’s reputation. Other than that whether it be the government of Deve Gowda, IK Gujral or Dr Manmohan Singh or Atal Bihari Vajpayee, elections in J&K have always been held on time. Should prime minister unwilling or unable to conduct the elections in J&K within the Supreme Court mandated six month period it will be admission by PM Modi that he has failed in handling of J&K.  Is that something PM Modi is willing to accept or convey to the rest of the country that only he can answer?  As far as we are concerned if you can have Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies polls which the Prime Minister came to Srinagar and talked about it as a great success. If you can have parliament elections.. If the home minister of India’s categorical commitment to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that whatever resources the election commission requires for simultaneous elections, will be made available. If in spite of this you postpone the assembly polls then obviously some darker forces are at play.

DNA: If they are held separately. What will be your response?

Omar:  We will wait and see. At the moment we have represented to the Election Commission. Our party president has written a formal letter to the Election Commission demanding the elections should be held simultaneously. As far as we are concerned, we have taken up this matter with one authority that matters which is the Election Commission. If necessary a delegation from National Conference will go and meet the Election Commission as well. We will continue to press for early election because we have serious doubts and reservation about the way in which this current governor is conducting affairs in the state.

DNA:  You have pitched for regional autonomy and scrapping of controversial Public Safety Act (PSA). Given the centre's response to autonomy resolution, will you succeed this time around?

Omar: We will continue to talk about it. Let us not believe BJP government will be in power at centre indefinitely. It is just unfortunate when the autonomy resolution was passed through the assembly in J&K, you had a government led by the BJP at centre at that time.  That could very well not be the case in 2019. We are hoping post general election you will have more receptive government in centre. Certainly will continue to press for it. As far as scraping of PSA from books is concerned, it has nothing to do with centre. It is state law and state is within its rights to get rid of it.

DNA: You boycotted civic and Municipal polls on article 35 A. But the domiciles sword still hangs. What will be your course of action?

Omar: Obviously Article 35 A and Article 370 will be very important campaign issues for us. We will be asking for the mandate from people to defend and strengthen J&K’s autonomous position. We believe given what government of India has been doing with Article 35 A strengthens our case even further. Make no mistake about the fact that Article 35 A will be the main issue of campaign. State’s entire identity is married to Article 35 A and Article 370. There is no way it will be subsidiary or secondary issue for us.

DNA:  Last time you and PDP joined hands to form the government. Was it to checkmate Sajad Lone and BJP? What was the thought process?

Omar:  It was exactly to protect the state from what Raj Bhawan is doing today. Whether it is the division for Leh and Kargil. The way in which a peaceful region is today pushed to wall. People in Kargil are forced to agitate for their rights. It was to save the state from that. It was to save the state from the Raj Bhawan been used for the political agenda of BJP. It was to make sure to put a strong defence for Article 35 A and 370 in the Supreme Court. It was not meant to checkmate anybody. It was serious  and well considered move by the National Conference. It was not without precedent. It is the same National Conference (NC) that in the aftermath of 2014 elections had extended this sort of support to PDP at that time. When the results came out and Mufti Mohommad Sayeed Sahab had started some sort of deliberations with the BJP, I as the then working president of NC offered unconditional support to PDP which Mufti Sahab turned down. It wasn’t political maneuver. It was a maneuver that we felt had the best interest of state at heart.

DNA: If there is a fragmented mandate in the polls, are you ready to take or offer the support?

Omar:  There is no point getting into the hypothetical situation.  I would like to believe that people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are fed up with the fragmented mandates. They have seen fragmented mandates have only added to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir. By going on slogans of regionalism like BJP and others have fought, they have not got their dues. Let us take the example of Ladakh. It is the same Prime Minister Modi who promised if he becomes PM he will grant them Union territory status. What has happened? Instead they had to settle for division. It is exactly what NC has been saying. We have been saying we will give you regional autonomy within the framework of state. Our regional autonomy documents talks about this. It talks about regional autonomy to Ladakh, Chenab Valley, Pir Panjal and regions like that. Our campaign will designed about to educate people about how detrimental fragmented mandates have been for J&K.

DNA: You have been cautioning people that saying PDP may join hands with BJP again. What are the bases for that?

Omar:  There is basis for that. Please see what the PDP did when the vice chairman of Rajya Sabha had to be elected. Did the PDP vote against BJP? No. They stayed away from the voting to help the BJP. They knew by abstaining they are benefiting BJP.  I am saying with all my authority under my command the PDP and the BJP have still kept their channels of communication open. The PDP has helped the BJP whenever it was necessary. None of expected Mufti Sahab to tie up with BJP in 2014 assembly polls. In 2014 parliament polls, I cautioned people about the tacit alliance between PDP and BJP. PDP deliberately put two Muslim candidates both for Jammu and Udhampur parliament seats. I said this is designed purely with a view to split Muslim votes so that BJP benefits. And that is exactly what happened. That was proved when they allied again after 2014 assembly polls. Make no mistake if Mehbooba has tied up with BJP to save her party. She will do it again.

DNA:  The 2016 agitation is yet to ebb particularly in south Kashmir. Was it a trigger for new age militancy?

Omar:  Trigger was when PDP joined hands with BJP. South Kashmir more than any other region fell aggrieved that they had been asked to give mandate to keep the BJP out. The party they gave mandate tied up with BJP. Every speech Mehbooba and Mufti Sahab gave at that time was about keeping the BJP out, about the need to fight the RSS. At the first available opportunity they tied up with the BJP. So obviously there would be resentment. South Kashmir more than any other region rose up in 2016 and has continued to contribute young lives to militant ranks.

DNA: What about AFSPA, which you could not repeal last time. Is there anything you want to do now?

Omar:  Had the security environment continued to improve post 2014 assembly elections, the AFSPA would have been the first time I would have picked up. Bu the fact is PDP and BJP have mishandled the state to the point where today it is not even feasible to discuss the phased revocation of AFSPA. For a while we will have to focus on improving the security environment bringing it to the point where we will be comfortable in discussing the phased revocation fo AFSPA. You had vast areas of the valley that were militancy free. Budgam, Ganderbal, Srinagar and parts of North Kashmir were militancy free. Today like it or not even uptown Srinagar is not militancy free. You had militant attacks in Lal Chowk, Raj Bagh and weapon snatching. You had militant attacks in SMHS hospital. So unfortunately PDP BJP government’s mishandling has brought us to a position that at the moment at least discussions on AFSPA will not possible, It is not the issue I am willing to surrender in toto. As security environment improves, it is a discussion I intend to resume with the center government.

DNA: You had promised to set up truth and reconciliation commission. Is it on course?

Omar:  Truth and reconciliation commission in its true form is going to be something that India and Pakistan agree upon. Because it has transcend Line of Control and Border. Lot of what has happened in J&K finds its origin and roots on the other side of Kashmir. And therefore truth and reconciliation commission that is confined purely to valley will do not unearth the entire truth nor will it allow for much reconciliation. So ideally with a new government in place in centre in 2019. With Imran khan interested in improved relationship with India, it is something we can talk about.