Two issues dominated the Urdu media in the Valley in the last fortnight of May. One, the Mufti Government’s failure to eradicate the menace of large -scale corruption. And, two, the thaw in Indo-Pak relations and consequent developments in this regard.

·         The Mufti Government

The Aftab, in its editorial of 22 May 2003, observed that the government has not been able to bring fairness in the administration, which is in a mess, “the government has not stuck to the principles of honesty which it claims to be its foremost duty intended to bring impartiality in the system.” Further, it commented that the “government in its tenure of seven months so far, has raised a ray of hope among the people who expect the government to perform better in times ahead. It would flourish provided it dedicates itself to the welfare of people in a trouble- torn Valley.” Looking into the flaws of the government that had led to its unpopularity among the people, the editorial concluded, “Due to its unrealistic and undemocratic approach, the government has dissociated itself from people of the valley. The government would be able to deal with the problems effectively if it brings impartiality in administration.”

The editorial of 25 May 2003 also criticized the government for not providing a corruption-free administration: “important work apart, even a petty work is not possible without greasing the palms of the concerned officials. The administration is in a mess and there are large-scale irregularities, the government watches all this like a mute spectator. The high level officers are incompetent and have been appointed just on the basis of favoritism. Mere statements to eradicate corruption in all its manifestations would not serve the purpose; nevertheless the government does not launch a massive drive against corrupt officials,” read the editorial. Adding to the woes of the people were the vigilance officials who received handsome monies from the offenders to allow them to continue. Some cases of corrupt vigilance officers have come to the surface which showed them guilty of accepting bribes, added the editorial.

Srinagar Times (24 May 2003), in its lead news, reported the statement of the Peoples Democratic Party President, Mehbooba Mufti, who vowed to bring the corrupt officials to justice. “People have great expectations from the government. They have voted to change the government system. Corrupt officials would not be tolerated at any cost. Very soon, people would see such officials brought to the book” she said, while on a five day visit to Poonch and Rajouri.

·         Indo-Pak dialogue

The Aftab carried the statement of Pakistan President, General Musharraf, in its lead news story of 16 May 2003. Gen Musharraf had expressed that Pakistan was ready to talk to India on the Kashmir issue and that Pakistan believed in peace which is possible only with the resolution of the Kashmir issue. “Pakistan can never ignore the Kashmir issue. We want to resolve all issues including Kashmir through peaceful means with India. Prime Minister Jamali has been specifically asked to deal with the Kashmir issue and preparations are on to resume talks with India,” read the statement.

The Srinagar Times too carried in detail the statement of Pakistan President, General Musharraf. “I will not become a hurdle in talks between Prime Minister Jamali and his counterpart Vajpayee. Jamali has showed readiness in extending a hand of friendship to India. We have taken this step after a great deal of contemplation” read his statement. It continued “Pakistan has announced its High Commissioner for Delhi; India too, has reciprocated the move. We have sent a proposal for promotion of ties with India and I hope India will respond to our proposal in a positive manner so that more steps can be taken in this regard.”

In a related news item, Aftab (23 May 2003) reported, “International pressure forced Delhi and Islamabad to enter into dialogue.” President Musharraf’s statement on Kashmir figured in the news report : “two countries cannot improve ties as long as the Kashmir issue is not resolved in accordance with the wishes of people of Kashmir. The resolution of the Kashmir issue would enable two nations to live like good neighbours and would guarantee peace in the entire subcontinent,” read the statement.

The bilingual Alsafa reported on 31 May 2003 that US President Bush and British Prime Minister Blair were likely to visit India and Pakistan: “efforts are made at the international level to reinforce ties between the two countries. Experts from America, Britain and other European countries have started meetings with high level officials in India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. India and Pakistan, too, have started discussions with their well wishers. The two countries have also started sending their representatives to America, Britain and the Arab countries” read the report. It also referred to a news report in Jung that stated, “US and Britain experts on Kashmir and their governments wish the Kashmir issue to be resolved through negotiations by involving the two Presidents (Musharraf and Kalam) in a comprehensive result-oriented dialogue.”

In its lead news (25 May 2003), the Srinagar Times carried the statement of Foreign Minister, Yashwant Sinha, who called for a joint operation involving India and Pakistan against militants operating from Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Foreign Minister had appreciated Pakistan’s taking action against these militants: “terrorists are active in Pakistan and Pakistan administrated Kashmir; they are to be flushed out by a joint mechanism. If the terrorists are beyond Pakistan’s control, Pakistan should have no hesitation to cooperate with us to eliminate them. We appreciate the steps taken by Pakistan against militancy” read the statement.

The Uqaab reported (19 May 2003) that the Hurriyat Conference appealed to the militants and the Indian government to announce a ceasefire and facilitate the India-Pakistan peace diplomacy. The organization’s senior leader, Moulana Abbas Ansari, said: “dialogue between the two countries, without the involvement of the Kashmiris, would never be result-oriented, that is why the Shimla and Tashkent Agreements ended in failure. The two countries are moving forward in the right direction. If the militants and the Indian security forces announce a ceasefire at this point of time, it would strengthen the peace process. Time has proved that Kashmiris are the basic party to the dispute and their involvement in any dialogue process is a must.”