PC says J-K Police’s security clearance order for jobs for youths ‘unambiguously harsh’

     Srinagar, Aug 2 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Peoples' Conference (PC) on Monday condemned the J-K Police’s order denying security clearance for passport and other government services to those involved in subversive activities, saying it is “unambiguously harsh” and in contravention to the spirit of the speech made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a recent all-party meet.
     “PC condemns the stringent order issued by the CID about the verification related to passports, government schemes and recruitment in government service,” PC spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir said.
     He said the order not only gives “arbitrary powers” to the sleuths of the Special Branch of the police, but also appoints them as “judge, jury and executioner — in this case — to pulverise career prospects of Kashmiri youth and to push them away from the mainstream of the country”.
     Mir said the order is “unambiguously harsh”.
     “Most importantly, it is in contravention to the spirit of the speech made by the Hon'ble Prime Minister at all-party meet,” he said, referring to the meeting the prime minister had on June 24 with 14 mainstream leaders of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi to discuss the future course of action for the union territory.
     In the meeting, Modi had said he wanted to win the hearts of the people of J-K and remove "Dilli ki doori" (the distance from Delhi) and "dil ki doori" (distance between hearts).
     The PC spokesperson said the thrust and recurring theme of the prime minister's speech was that the distance of hearts between Delhi and Srinagar needs to be decreased.
     “Such orders will not resolve or decrease the distance between New Delhi and Srinagar and will certainly increase the alienation of the people towards the institutions of government and the psychological distance between Delhi,” Mir said.
     He said earlier the Kashmiris were at the “receiving end” of media trials of “parachuted journalists” and now it seems the “parachuted bureaucrats” want “to unleash the Khap panchayat style criminal jurisprudence system in the region”.
     “A fair trial backed by evidence is the constitutional right of every individual and presumption of innocence until an accused/suspect is proven guilty is the cornerstone of rule of law in India. Surprisingly, the upholders of the law are out to demolish the founding principle of the rule of law and criminal jurisprudence in Kashmir,” he said.
     How the investigative agency is conferring sweeping power on itself violates constitutional principles observed in the rest of the country, Mir said.
     “Undoubtedly, this order is beyond the pay and grade of a typical administrative services officer and has long-lasting societal and political ramifications,” he said.
     Criminality has to have a uniform definition across the country, the PC spokesperson said, adding the notions of criminality cannot be twisted and turned to create a customised legal system for the people of J-K, in violation of constitutional morality and principles.
     “These custom-made definitions will not only implicate innocents; destroy hundreds and thousands of careers; but also push youth away from mainstream activities,” he said.
     Mir said with one order, the government has in all possibility created hurdles for lakhs of young men and women from acquiring means of economic livelihood and enjoy the benefits of government schemes.
     He appealed to the people “scripting such orders” to look beyond two to three years of their tenures.
     “These ill-thought structural changes will bring negative ramifications lasting decades. It is our earnest appeal to the bureaucracy: please do not sow seeds of anger and poison for our future generations,” Mir said. PTI SSB MIJ AQS
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)