Was it possible to take Burhan alive: Muzaffar Hussain Baig

While the Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha called upon the government to adopt a conciliatory approach on Kashmir unrest, lone PDP member Muzaffar Hussain Baig wondered if it was possible to capture slain militant Burhan Wani alive. Mr Baig cited examples from the past when leading militants were captured alive and were brought to take part in the political process, with some of them now being member of the state Assembly.

Making a long and emotional speech on the short duration discussion under Rule 193 on the issue of the violence in the Kashmir valley, Mr Baig said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion for “minimum force” in dealing with the agitation in the Valley has come as a healing touch. The PDP member also said that the resolution passed in the national executive meeting of the BJP at Allahabad last month is the right roadmap to resolve the Kashmir issue. Union home minister Rajnath Singh will reply on the short duration discussion on Thursday.

“There have been reports which quoted unnamed police officials saying that they knew the whereabouts of the slain militant and in this context I may ask if it was possible to capture Burhan Wani alive. In the past many leading commanders of the militant organizations were captured alive and persuaded to join the political process,” said Mr Baig.

He, however, rejected the contention that the unrest in the valley is because of the alliance of PDP with BJP. He added that the PDP joined hands with the BJP because “the 126 crore people of the country gave mandate to Mr Modi”. Reeling out the history of militancy in the valley, the PDP leader blamed the actions by Congress and National

Conference since 1948 for the loss of trust in democracy among the people of the valley.

Mr Baig charged that the rigging of 1987 polls, allegedly by National Conference-Congress combine, was the “deepest cut” to the faith of Kashmiris in democracy.

Meanwhile, initiating the debate in the House Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia claimed that the good work done by the previous UPA government during 10 years of its existence has been lost. “This government is being irresponsible towards Kashmir,” he accused, while charging Prime Minister that when Kashmir was on the boil “Mr Modi was beating drums abroad and failed to utter even a single word to condemn the violence”.

The BJP MP Anurag Thakur, however countered the claims of the Congress leader, and cautioned that while Pakistan is trying to play with fire, “we should be careful that domestic politics is not responsible to add fuel to it”. He sought to know from Union Home Minister specifically as to who really was “behind the present unrest” in the Valley.