SC’s REFUSAL TO INTERVENE ON KASHMIR ISSUE

SC’s REFUSAL TO INTERVENE ON KASHMIR ISSUE

Maha Media 14 August 2019

Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to intervene and pass orders on a plea seeking lifting clampdown in Jammu & Kashmir, saying the Central government needs time to normalise the situation in the state, given the sensitivity of the issue. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, M R Shah and Ajay Rastogi noted the sensitivity of the Jammu & Kashmir issue and said the Union government should be given more time to bring normalcy as nothing can be done overnight.  

The curbs on free movement of people and communication in the state were necessary to prevent any outbreak of violence sought to be instigated by mischief-mongers as there were reports that that people in the region are living without internet and telephonic communication.
The administration took such step so that the spreading of rumours, fake news and messages can be stopped.  Those who are talking about violation of human rights in the Valley, must know that this was not the first time restrictions were imposed in Jammu & Kashmir and a similar situation  had existed in 2016, following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani. And that time separatist group Huriyat Conference had called ‘Hartals’ for weeks. Restrictions have always been there in the Valley.
State governor Satya Pal Malik has rightly said that telephone and internet are weapons of the enemy—the people who want to disturb peace, who want to indoctrinate the younger generation, misguide and mobilize them and Pakistan, they all use it as instrument. The governor further said on restrictions that one has to decide what is more important. Life of citizens is far more important. Talking and communicating on phone or internet is not the life of society. The life of society is that it lives peacefully.
We all believe that the normalcy in Kashmir will back soon. As the world has decided to wait and watch the situation in the Kashmir. A good chunk of the international system could even be said to be paying no attention. Pakistan’s hopes of creating a global storm over the Kashmir issue have fallen flat. The United Nations Security Council told Pakistan it would not allow a discussion on Kashmir. The Islamic world has been silent. But the government must not lose sight of the need to lift prohibitory orders at the first opportune moment and initiate Kashmir along the complex path to new elections and statehood as soon as possible.

For Maha Media

Prabhakar Purandare