‘Mainstream separatism’ at its best during Assembly session

MLA calls J&K ‘disputed’, PDP for probe in all ‘killings’ by SC judge

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Sep 23: Forget stone pelters. A fairly good number of elected Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are bracing up to raise separatist hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s 5-point charter assiduously in the forthcoming session of Legislature. Hurriyat (G) Chairman, Geelani has laid five conditions, including declaring J&K as a disputed territory and withdrawal of troops, for his engagement in any political process.

A special session of the state legislature is being convened next week in the summer capital in the backdrop of worst ever street turbulence. For the first time, proceedings are likely to be held under curfew. The autumn session of Assembly, beginning on September 30th and scheduled to end on October 11th, has become a constitutional constraint as the gap between two sessions is supposed to be of less than six months in all circumstances. With four off days, the brief session would have just eight days of business---four reserved for government business.

Assembly Secretariat has received a total of 429 questions, including 236 starred and 193 unstarred from members of different political parties. While as 29 questions (14 starred, 15 unstarred) have been disallowed on account of various reasons, mostly technical, 400 have been listed for reply and discussion. These include 222 starred and 178 unstarred questions.

Members have also submitted 71 resolutions. As many as 49 have been admitted for discussion but 22 have been disallowed by Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone, mostly on technical grounds. Members can not bring a particular resolution that has come up for discussion in the House in less than a year. They are also barred from taking up issues governed by the Central government.

Three of the 19 private members’ Bills received have been disallowed but 16 admitted for introduction and subsequent proceedings. As of now, 6 private members’ Bills and equal number of Government Bills are already pending for discussion. For the first time, Government has submitted just one fresh Bill for a session. The Bill, titled J&K Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition), if passed, would ban toilets lacking hygienic sanitary systems in the state.

One-odd private member’s Bill, seeking establishment of yet another religious University, has been pending with a select committee but is unlikely to be moved for discussion due to difference of opinion among members. Members are said to be predominantly in favour of not raising any issues that, according to them, had potential of dividing people on the basis of religion, sect, region and language.

Early Times has learned that members of the main opposition party, PDP, besides the coalition government’s allies, namely CPM State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, PDF Chairman Hakeem Mohammad Yasin and Independent MLA from Langate, Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, would be creating pandemonium on “108 killings” by Police and security forces in Kashmir in the last over three months. Most of them are preparing to rake up Geelani’s 5-point charter, excluding the primary condition of declaring the state as a “disputed territory”. However, sources close to Er Rasheed insisted that the former Peoples Conference activist woul be categorically demanding declaration of J&K as a “disputed territory”.

According to informed sources, almost all of PDP’s 21 MLAs have submitted identical resolutions seeking investigation of “all 108 killings” (by Police and armed forces) by a judge of Supreme Court of India, release of all detainees arrested in the last four months besides asking the Centre to initiate an unconditional dialogue with Kashmiri separatist leaders. Every second resolution seeks withdrawal of troops from not-disturbed areas and revocation of J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

Asking Government of India to hand over all the power projects, established and controlled by NHPC in the strife-torn state, to Government of J&K is one-odd non-political resolution being moved by almost all of the PDP MLAs.

Even as the hot-seat coalition partner, National Conference is expected to vociferously plead for restoration of greater autonomy, dialogue with separatists and amendments to AFSPA, Congress party is unlikely to support any change in the Centre-State status---threatening fissures in the alliance and denying BJP luxury of “majestic isolation” in Jammu.

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