The dismal performance of the Mufti Government, a change in the attitude of Hurriyat leader, Umar Farooq, vis-à-vis the Kashmir issue after his meeting with Fazlurehman, and the probability of a dialogue between the APHC and Delhi, dominated the Urdu press in the Valley during the last three weeks of July.
The coalition government in its tenure of nine months and 16 days has failed to provide good governance and to keep the promises that it had made to the people, claimed the bilingual Alsafa (20 July 2003) in its lead news. It reported that "the task force which was to be merged with the police is still operational. Custodial killings continue and the disappearances too. Eighteen persons have been killed in custody while as many are missing". The government has turned a deaf ear towards the unemployed. Corrupt officials enjoy the blessing of the government. Nine months time is enough for people to judge the performance of any government.." Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed and a few of his Ministers may have devoted themselves to the public good but a lot more needs to be done to earn public goodwill, summed up the report.
The daily Aftab (31 July 2003) in its editorial cautioned the administration that if it continued with its gross negligence, it would have to bear the consequences "Unfortunately the government despite being aware of the fact that gross misdeeds have occurred in every department, has not paid any heed to bringing about changes. All this has a bearing on the common man. Ministers and others in power are busy pursuing their own gains which is an obvious injustice to the people". Be it education, rural development or for that matter healthcare, everything is done in the interest of the officers who brief their bosses (ministers) in a wrong way so as to garner personal gains, summed up the editorial.
The bilingual Alsafa (13 July 2003) in its editorial "Loot in the markets and a mute administration" commented that prices of commodities were sky-rocketing and the government was watching like a mute spectator.. "Despite the large-scale protests, many a times because of the undue rise in rates of different commodities, the Government. has paid no attention to putting a check on the prices which has caused great inconvenience to the masses" It continued that, "there are markets brimming with fresh vegetables and other necessary items but there are markets where decomposed vegetables are being sold which cause different diseases". The government’s inaction has encouraged shopkeepers to charge exorbitant prices. They do not understand that there are people who do not earn even ten rupees a day, concluded the editorial.
The daily Srinagar Times (27 July 2003) in its editorial observed that former Chairman and senior leader of APHC, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has apparently changed his strategy vis-a-vis the Kashmir issue after his meeting with Fazlurrehman in Delhi. "Marwaiz has returned with a different perception about the Kashmir problem. To resolve the issues between India and Pakistan, Umar’s perception seem to be matching with that of Mufti Sayeed" It continued that the Hurriyat has always been advocating a trilateral dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue but after his return, Mirwaiz has said that the issue could be resolved through a dialogue between the two countries. This change in the mindset of Hurriyat leader has been brought about by a Pakistani religious scholar and not by an Indian leader. This possibly may bring about a change in the overall Hurriyat leadership, summed up the editorial.
The probability of a dialogue between All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and Delhi is once again high, reported the weekly Chattan (16 July 2003). "The political state of affairs in India and Pakistan and of course in Jammu and Kashmir is changing fast. This can be understood by the fact that religious leader Mulana Fazlurehman believed to be the patron of separatists is issuing statements advocating peace and tranquility.. At the same time, the newly appointed Hurriyat Chairman, Molvi Abbas Ansari held that intervention by America and Britain though with friendly intentions, should be ruled out". It needs to be mentioned here that statements of Mulana Fazlurehman and Abbas Ansari are in the interests of Indian government, that has always opposed third party mediation on the Kashmir issue.
The daily Aftab (08 July 2003) in its editorial observed that the people have realized that violence in the Valley has declined and the government too has brought about a change in its attitude while dealing with violence-related incidents "The government is putting in efforts to restore peace and bring the Valley back to normalcy". It opined that, "the government should encourage those who have joined the mainstream and provide every possible help for them to live a peaceful life. This will help the government restore peace in the Valley". People here are yearning for peace and condemn violence in all its manifestations. It is the job of the government to do everything possible that could bring peace back to turbulent valley, finished the editorial.
The daily Aftab (24 July 2003) in its lead news reported that the government is taking adequate security measures to prevent any untoward incident in view of tourists visiting the Valley.. "Though the situation in the Valley may be termed as being under control, security forces and police are asked to remain vigilant as valley is witnessing a tremendous tourist inflow these days". Personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) are also being posted at important tourist resorts to strengthen security arrangements.
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