PDP joins Oppn to blast Parrikar

SRINAGAR: The "kill terrorists with terrorists" remark by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar three days ago has drawn criticism from BJP''s ally in J&K Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state opposition parties alike.

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 24

The "kill terrorists with terrorists" remark by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar three days ago has drawn criticism from BJP's ally in J&K Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state opposition parties alike.

The PDP today said whosoever was making such comments was grossly ignorant about the ground realities in Kashmir as well as the law.

While J&K Education Minister Naeem Akhtar hit out at Parrikar without naming him, Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Pakistani PM on national security and foreign affairs, was more direct in his attack. He said Parrikar’s statement confirmed their apprehensions about “India’s involvement in terrorism in Pakistan”.

This is for the first time the PDP has reacted to Parrikar’s remark, being viewed in Kashmir as an attempt to revive counter-insurgent group “Ikhwan”, accused of human rights violations.

In the early 1990s, nearly 4,000 counter-insurgents were engaged by the government to fight militants across Kashmir. Akhtar said the revival of Ikhwanis was not possible as such practices were illegal, unconstitutional and unethical.

“Whosoever is dishing out such absurd views is grossly ignorant about both — the ground realities in Kashmir and the law,” Akhtar said. Referring to a judgment on Salwa Judam –government-sponsored gunmen used by the Chhattisgarh Government against Maoists — he said the Supreme Court in April 2008 had made it clear that arms can’t be given to a civilian to kill and “anybody doing so will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the IPC”.

“So, if somebody has made any statement on the issue, he must be completely ignorant about the law,” Akhtar said. He alleged that except the PDP, all other political parties and groups in Kashmir, including the National Conference and the Congress, had ruthlessly used government gunmen for political purposes.

Former CM Omar Abdullah also hit out at the PDP-BJP government over Parrikar’s remark. "Looks like (Chief Minister) Mufti (Mohammad) Syed (sic) is reviving & empowering the Ikhwanis (counter-insurgents). That's the only way to carry out terrorists killing terrorists policy of MoD," Omar tweeted.

JKPCC president GA Mir said: “There is neither any space for another gun culture nor it can be allowed to prevail again in the state, as the situation in the Valley has improved considerably. Any such move by the NDA government with regard to J&K will be defeated on every front.”