An attempt to silence the media, say MPs

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 11. Parliament today condemned Thursday's bomb blast in Srinagar with the Opposition telling the Government to come forward with a coherent and well-planned government strategy to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Members in both Houses saw in it an attempt by the militants to silence the media which, they said, had been fearlessly ``exposing'' the Pakistan-sponsored proxy war in Kashmir. In the Lok Sabha, the deputy leader of the Congress(I), Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, said The Hindustan Times photographer, Pradeep Bhatia, who was killed in the blast, should be regarded as a ``martyr''.

Even as he emphasised that his party was not trying to ``politicise'' the issue, he did point to the ``total confusion'' in the Government on Kashmir and called for a ``long-term, well thought-out policy''. The Congress(I), he said, had welcomed the peace process but cautioned against complacency. In recent weeks, however, there had been little evidence of the sort of caution that the situation demanded.

The Bahujan Samaj Party member, Mr. Rashid Alvi, charged that the Government had ``no policy'' on Kashmir. He insisted on having his say, ignoring the Speaker, Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi's plea that he would have a chance to discuss the issue during the debate on Kashmir on August 21. Several members also wanted to speak but were restrained by the Chair.

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, said he shared the members' concern. Thursday's blast, he pointed out, was clearly intended to ``target'' the Fourth Estate. He stressed the need to rise above ``party politics'', terming the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as a ``national crisis''. He said the Government would take note of the suggestions made by leaders of political parties.

In the Rajya Sabha, the members observed a minute's silence in memory of those killed in the blast. The Chairman, Mr. Krishan Kant, termed it as a ``barbaric act''.

In a press statement later, the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Najma Heptullah, said innocent people were being held hostage by those who had least regard for human lives. Accusing Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism, she said, ``Those who claim to give political and moral support to these agents of terror and violence must realise that religion can never be a basis of nation-building.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Youth held for demanding 'ransom' from CM
Next     : Dargah Khwaja Act to be amended