WG on Centre-state has a tough time ahead: Omar

NEW DELHI: Omar Abdullah, the president of J&K’s main political party, NC, said Tuesday’s round-table conference indicated the problems that Justice (retd) Sagir Ahmad would have to tackle while finalizing his report. Of the five working groups – four of which have already submitted their suggestions – his is the most crucial given its mandate to offer a blueprint of future centre-state relations.

“If we are unable to have a consensus on smaller economic issues, how can we manage our polar differences on political issues”, Omar told ET . He was referring to the stiff resistance that BJP and members of Kashmiri Pandits over certain suggestions mistaking them as Kashmir specific.

In fact the BJP had threatened to pull out of the Roundtable initiative saying their suggestions to the economic WG had not been incorporated. This had forced former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah to tell the BJP that they should stop mistaking the ongoing process of peace and reconciliation as that of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s baby.

“The fact is that the peace process was initiated by his predecessor Atal Behari Vajpayee and BJP has a stake in its success”, Dr Abdullah said.

With Congress’s vision of J&K’s future revolving around the 1975 accord and most of the others for a status quo, both NC and PDP are facing “choked” in the roundtable as they stand for ‘greater autonomy’ and ‘self-rule’.

“The composition (of roundtable) is irrational. How has Congress 11 invitees and NC only two, less than one by PDP and almost equal to Panthers Party? If a Congressman belongs to a Gujjar community, how is it expected that he would deviate from the party line?” Omar said.

“It seems as if the initiative is aimed at muzzling our voice by having a least mattering huge crowd of groups and parties just to oppose us. One group has two legislators are both were invited, if that is the case I need 27 invitations”. This problem could impact the work of justice (retd) Sagir Ahmad’s WG but I hope he manages to bridge the divide, Omar believes.

NC had boycotted the WGs after picking up the issue of human rights and it resumed its participation post-haste at the height of coalition tension thinking PDP’s ouster from Azad led government may lead to quick gains for NC.

However, Omar is impressed by the comprehensive set of suggestions made by four groups. “This is the maximum that is possible in given situation”, he said. But he is worried over the implementation part.

“If you want to delay things, we set up more committees and that is what is happening”, he said adding that there is a lot of confusion. “Our own actions indicate that motive is to weaken the initiative”.

Omar was actually referring to the announcement at the height of tension between Congress and PDP in which setting up of a committee that would consider relocation, revocation of AFSPA and rent issues.

Now another committee would have to look into other aspects. “The issue is what is the mandate of which committee and who will ensure that changes take place at the ground level”, he added. Besides, Omar does see lot many things missing in the recommendations by WGs.

In his brief speech to the roundtable, he asked a truth and reconciliation commission, efforts to initiate talks with local militants (read Hizb ul Mujahideen) and strengthening the existing trans-LoC routes before going for opening more.

“The fact is that the opening of Jhelum Valley road was an all party affairs, its first anniversary a one-party (read PDP) affair and on second anniversary nobody even noticed it because it did not take off for one or the other reason.”