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| Political role of spy agencies in J&K | | 
By Yash Bhasin
Intelligence agencies are peeved over their frequent bashing by the politicians. They rue that the leaders of opposition parties blame them for their negative role in defaming them and also playing the game of the ruling party in weakening and sabotaging the opposition moves. But they claim that their role is primarily to constantly watch the situation at the ground level as well as the roles of political leaders and other public figures, particularly the potential trouble makers. After formulating their assessment of the situation and the role of individuals in the same, the agencies report the same to the Home Ministry. The formulation of policy about a particular state, a party and dealing with the individual players is for the political wing of the government and they have no role in the same.
The spy agencies are particularly miffed over the recent statement of Union minister for Rural Development, Jai Ram Ramesh that Center’s Kashmir policy is dictated by the spy agencies. Taking cue from Ramesh’s observation made recently in Srinagar, the NC Additional Gen Secy, Mustafa Kamal, who is the uncle of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and younger brother of NC President and Union Cabinet Minister Farooq Abdullah, has alleged that Congress has in the past used the spy agencies to weaken the NC. He has also expressed apprehension that Congress will use the agencies in 2014 elections to improve their prospects and weaken the prospects of National Conference. He has also alleged that before 1972 Congress had been using the spy agencies to come to power in the state.
Mustafa Kamal has made these allegations in the backdrop of growing differences between the two ruling coalition partners, the NC and Congress, in J&K. The differences and tension between the two parties was already there over certain issues, affecting their respective prospects in the elections, the two catering to different constituencies. But these are extenuated over the issue of their divergent perception and political interest over the fall out of hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and the demand for his body to be handed over to his family members.
Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Chief and Former intelligence bureau chief Amarjeet Singh Dulat has rubbished the claim of NC that spy agencies help a Congress to weaken NC. Mr Dulat is one of India’s leading experts on Kashmir, who has been often tasked by the Central government in track two diplomacy in Kashmir. Mr Dalut was also appointed as Advisor to the then Prime Minister Attal Behari Vajpyee on Kashmir and was believed to be architect of Kashmir policy of the Vajpyee government.
According to a story carried in a newspaper from Kashmir, Dalut has told on telephone that the NC allegation is a sign of their weakness. “May be they are having problems with their ally in the coalition government”. He added that it is not a credible statement Kamal has also implicitly blamed the Central intelligence agencies for turning NC from majority in the past to a minority, presently dependent on the Congress. Dalut has also rubbish the statement of Jai Ram Ramesh that spy agencies were at the helm of affairs in the Kashmir, adding that his statement is based on certain perceptions on Kashmir. There is no reality” Dalut has claimed.
Nevertheless, there is a general perception that the intelligence agencies play a big role in formulating Kashmir policy by the Centre and also playing its role in affecting the outcome of elections in J&K. Both the regional ruling party, the NC and the Central ruling party the Congress have been using their respective intelligence agencies and official machinery to influence the outcome of state assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The local ruling party even uses the machinery in the local body’s elections. In his book “My Kashmir Conflict and the prospects Of Enduring Peace, The Former Chief Information Commissioner and Presently The Chairperson Of National Commission on Minorities, Wajahat Habibullaha has describe in detail the process of rigging of elections in J&K. Habibullaha, who was also the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir during the height of militancy, writes in his book that in the 1987 elections Farooq wished to capitalize on the relationship by retaining his independence, without relying exclusively on Congress party’s support. Thus he allowed the election to be rigged by the National Conference so that he would not be holden to the Congress party. However the general perception is that the NC and Congress jointly rigged the 1987 elections. This act of rigging elections is believe to have shaken the faith of the opposition candidates in Kashmir, who had fought elections on the platform of Muslim United Front(MUF) that they could defeat the ruling dispensation through ballet. This was one of contributory factor of militancy erupting in the state in late 1988-early1989.
While the rigging of elections in J&K, with the use of official machinery has its origin with the first NC government of Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah in 1952, when the elections were rigged whole hog, the NC manipulating to reject the nomination papers of all the opposition candidates in most of the constituencies, both in Jammu and Kashmir, creating stage for a Praja Prashad to boycott the elections. In this way NC won all the seats in the state assembly. This process of election rigging continued even during Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad’s rule, particularly in Kashmir valley. GM Sadiq’s rule was no exception, though the rigging was on a much lower scale, more due to the political awakening among the masses and less due to the change in the mind set of ruling dispensation. The entire official machinery was used by Sadiq government also to defeat Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad in the by election far Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, resulting in the defeat of Bakshi at the hands of Shamim Ahmed Shamim.
The only elections to state assembly which were not rigged by the Central agencies and were quite free and fair were the ones held in 1977, when Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of Janta Party government in India gave clear instructions to the administration and Indian agencies to not interfere at all in the election process. Although the then Union Home Minister, Chaudhary Charan Singh had earlier told a meeting of the Central and State government officers, held in Jammu that the next government in J&K should be of Janta Party. Morarji Desai who visited the state later overruled his Home Minister’s direction and instructed for holding free and fair elections. Nevertheless, the NC, to some extent, indulged in rigging the elections in Kashmir valley with the use of friendly officers in the state administration and also playing communal and secessionist card.
The other free and fair elections held in J&K were in 2002, with the then Prime Minister of BJP led NDA government in the Centre, Atal Behari Vajpyee directed the agencies and the administration to be scrupulously neutral in their conduct during the election.
As far use of spy agencies in manipulating the outcome of elections, I have some personal inkling about the same about the state assembly elections in 1983. While the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s calculated move to polarize the outcome on Hindu-Muslim divide was the main factor for Congress winning almost all the seats from Hindu majority areas in Jammu region and NC winning all seats from Kashmir and also Muslim majority seats in Jammu. But the use of Central Intelligence agency, the IB was also a contributory factor, for causing total rout of BJP in that elections.
Kidar Nath Sahani, was the election incharge of BJP in Jammu, with a team of BJP leaders from Delhi. I was one of three General Secretaries of state BJP then and was deputed to conduct the tours of Central Party leaders coming to Jammu for electioneering and also looking after their comforts. One night after completing day’s work, I took Mr Sahani for dinner in Rachana Resturrant at City Chowk Jammu. During the course of conversation, Mr Sahani sounded me about the role of IB in using some party men, for defeating the BJP and manipulating victory of Congress candidates from Jammu region in the elections. When I asked for specific inputs in this regard, Sahani Ji did not elaborate. Later after about two months when I went to Delhi, for some personal business, I called on Mr Sahani at his residence and told him that I had the hunch that one of top leaders of our party in Jammu, who had big hand in selecting candidates and also running the election campaign, may be acting as an IB mole. My assessment about this was on the basis of the total negative and doubtful role of that party leader during the elections. However, Sahani Ji neither conformed nor out rightly refuted my apprehension.
(The writer is a senior Journalist of J&K)
(Opinions expressed in write-ups/articles/Letters are the sole responsibility of the authors and they may not represent the scoopnews.in)
Editor, Scoop News
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