[Reader-list] Army wanted Abdullah. Any surprises here?

[Pawan Durani]

yeah ...nothing surprising including the way you think...little Johnny....

pawan

On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 6:22 PM, Shivam V <lists at shivamvij.com> wrote:

> Army support is where the Abdullahs score over Muftis
>
> By Ashish Sinha in New Delhi
> Mail Today, 30 December 2008
> http://mailtoday.in/30122008/epaperhome.aspx
>
> NSG commandos protecting the Abdullah family, especially patriarch
> Farooq, are a happy lot because the former chief minister takes good
> care of them and has a more " mainstream" view of matters political.
>
> The contrast, mainly with the People's Democratic Party ( PDP), is
> significant as Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's attempts to simultaneously ride
> two boats — of " soft separatism" while sounding " national" — were
> detested by the security forces, especially the Army.
>
> Any political decision on Kashmir — especially when the ball is in the
> Congress's court — cannot afford to ignore the sentiments of lakhs of
> troops stationed here because, at least for now, they appear to be a
> more permanent fixture than any party, even the National Conference (
> NC).
>
> Personnel who have fought militancy in Kashmir say the " return of
> democracy" here cannot mean a retreat of the troops to the barracks.
> It is here that the Abdullahs surge ahead of the Muftis, especially as
> the PDP's plan of storming the assembly on a separatist agenda failed.
>
> Within the NC, the son scores over his father. Omar is seen as someone
> who means business and is capable of addressing the concerns of the
> youth, the most restless and wronged section of Kashmir today.
>
> When Farooq took over the NC from his father Sheikh Abdullah in 1981 —
> he became CM the next year — he was a political novice and pedigree
> was mainly why the baton came to him. But Omar, who represents the
> eagerness of the babalog s of Indian politics to make a difference,
> has a better track record. Only 38, he has been thrice elected to the
> Lok Sabha and was a Union MoS for over three years, handling commerce
> and external affairs in the NDA government.
>
> Kashmir is a society where the oft- promised dream of development-
> driven good days ahead has not been realised.
>
> "Farooq was in control of Kashmir twice during the troubled times —
> first from 1986 to 1990 and then from 1996 to 2002. But at the
> grassroots, he is still seen as a typical politician," said a senior
> BSF officer, adding " Omar is perceived as a firebrand leader
> committed to making a difference within the operating principle of J&
> K being an integral part of India. For a society ravaged by years of
> violence, that promise means a lot."
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>