Saving Kashmiri Pandits; MP walks judicial livewire; Imran Khan serves poll outswingers
Opinion Watch
Saving Kashmiri Pandits
Barely a week after the Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah held rallies in the Kashmir valley and walked around, Puran Krishan Bhatt, a farmer, was killed by terrorists in Shopian district in South Kashmir. By now six Kashmiri Pandits have been killed, which should leave no scope for any doubt that terrorists are carrying out targeted killings in the valley.
The Hindu in its lead Editorial headlined “Murders most foul” noted increased sense of fear among the Kashmiri Pandit who have fled the valley in big number this year. The plight of Kashmiri Pandits is largely going unheeded even while a film made on them “The Kashmir Files”, which was much celebrated and there was a feverish rush to clap to each scene with political leadership of the country lauding the film crew, sought to gain national empathy for India’s most brutalized community.
“That hapless civilians — migrant workers, farmers and government officers — have been the victims brings back memories of the exodus of minorities following violence in the Valley in the 1990s, notwithstanding condemnation of the violence now by mainstream and separatist leaders and also civil society,” added the Chennai-based daily, calling upon the security agencies to isolate the radical elements in the valley.
Needless to say the rehabilitation project of the Kashmiri Pandits is an unfinished agenda of the government and their killings is aimed to scare away the community. The security agencies will need to double up on their efforts to smoke out terrorists and also isolate their sympathizers.
MP walks judicial livewire
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has sought to copy his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath. But the original gains from being the first mover, Chouhan is coming out as a poor copycat.
Deccan Herald in its Editorial headlined “An arbitrary trial against a 12-year-old” has sought attention to the plight of a Muslim boy who has been tried as an adult for his alleged involvements in Khargone riots. A tribunal held him guilty of the charges, stated the Bengaluru-based daily, even while the police hadn’t investigated the case involving him.
The damage recovery tribunal, Deccan Herald further stated, consisted of the members appointed by the state government, ignored the fact that the 12-year-old boy as per the law of the country should have been tried by the Juvenile Justice Board. The boy was held guilty, and asked to pay Rs 3 lakh as a compensation by the tribunal.
Imran Khan serves poll outswingers
Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is more popular now in his country, as evident from the victory of his party in the byelections for the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly. Unlike his predecessors who after being ousted were exiled, Khan holds his fort in Pakistan and is now a darling of the middleclass, which loves conspiracy theories.
The Indian Express has sought to make a sense of the victory of Khan’s party and the emerging discomforts of the ruling People’s Democratic Movement, while in a few weeks Pakistan should get a new Army Chief to succeed the incumbent Qamar Javed Bajwa. The general election is also due next year in Pakistan, while the Pakistani Army is reportedly battling rank factionalism, with one section cheering Khan.
The Noida-based daily has stated that Pakistan is setting for an uncertain time amid the restive north-western frontier, which is ruled by terrorists. The western countries want Pakistan to cover their cowardice in abandoning Afghanistan to terrorists, but Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif indeed looks no match to the popularity of Khan.
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