Kashmir Conflict: Opposition Parties Meet Narendra Modi
Kashmir Conflict: Opposition Parties Meet Narendra Modi
By Rakesh Raman
A delegation of opposition political parties from Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) met India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi today (August 22).
The meeting holds added significance in view of the fact that the law & order situation in Kashmir is going from bad to worse and more than 80 people have already been killed in the violence that took place during the past 45 days in the troubled valley.
Although the United Nations (UN) was silent on Kashmir in the past, but now the UN chief Ban Ki-moon has deplored the killings in Kashmir and offered to provide his mediation to facilitate a dialogue between India and Pakistan.
[ Finally, the UN Offers to Resolve Kashmir Conflict ]
In a letter written to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also appreciated the commitment of Pakistan to a peaceful resolution of Kashmir for the sake of regional peace and security.
The UN’s intervention in the Kashmir issue will not go down well with India as it has always maintained that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and it will not entertain any external mediation.
While the opposition parties want a sympathetic political solution to resolve the Kashmir issue, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Modi is using strong-arm tactics to control thousands of protestors who are raising their voice against the Indian government and security forces.
[ Sonia Gandhi: Events in Kashmir Are Tragic ]
Kashmir has been facing a series of violent incidents since the killing of a 22-year-old rebel leader Burhan Wani by the Indian security forces on July 8 in an encounter which many believe was avoidable.
More than 80 people have died and thousands injured in the conflicts between the supporters of Burhan Wani and the Indian security forces in Kashmir, which is a disputed territory between India, Pakistan, and China.
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Although Burhan Wani was branded as a terrorist by the Indian rulers, he was a freedom fighter for the tens of thousands of local Kashmiris.
They rallied behind Burhan Wani to face the excesses of security forces who have been given a free hand by the Indian government to deal with all those who demand freedom in Kashmir.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a government award-winning journalist and social scientist. You also can visit the REAL VOTER – Politics in India Information Center that he manages.
Photo courtesy: Press Information Bureau
