By Bilal Bashir Bhat,
With speculation of governor change in offing in Jammu & Kashmir, political kaleidoscope is full of analysis as to who can replace the present Governor N N Vohra, who now does not seem to fit in the present scheme of things. Political Pundits state that considering the nomenclature and policy matters of the present Central government and also what can be the nature of upcoming state government makes Vohra a misfit in this scenario. Analysts are opining that even if the state of J&K remains under President’s Rule for long haul, still N N Vohra does not suit the contours of the overall situations.
When Vohra was made the Governor in 2008, he had to douse the fires raged by Amarnath land row, which he did; but now in 2015, his presence, according to many, seems to have become obsolete as he is not offering any refreshing aura now. So the million dollar question is who could offer this refreshing aura? The answer seems to be provided by two personas – PS Gill & AS Dulat.
N N Vohra (Courtesy: IndiaTV)
As a matter of fact, since February 2003, until he became the Governor, Vohra had been the Indian government’s interlocutor in Kashmir. As such, he had been holding wide-ranging discussions with both the elected representatives in the state and also the separatists in a bid to forge a common ground for the all-round development of the state. But now as the dynamics have changed and to an extent hardened too, PS Gill seems to be first choice.
A brief look at the probable candidates of would be the next Governor of Jammu and Kashmir offer exciting picture. Pertinently, PS Gill, an IPS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre and retired as DGP Punjab, was brought to the state of Punjab from Jammu and Kashmir in 2009 for his appointment as DGP. He also fought the assembly election in Punjab.
Gill joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in the year 1974 and served in various capacities in J&K police. He served as Director, Sher-I-Kashmir Police Academy, Udhampur; ADGP Armed; Vigilance Commissioner and Transport Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir. He is known as dynamic police official with effective professional skills and a man possessing dynamic and diverse capabilities earning him respect as the vibrant face in the world of policing in India. According to experts, Gill’s policing experience in Jammu & Kashmir and his vibrant attitude could be the contributing factors in his possible journey towards becoming the next Governor of Jammu & Kashmir. Critics say P S Gill can play a key role in Jammu and Kashmir as Governor.
Since dynamics have changed a lot and situation is somewhat tough, especially in backdrop of the turbulent borders and flood devastation in Kashmir, Gill seems to be the first choice as he can play a dynamic role in this regard. Recently he proved his mettle for the BJP by acting as a coordinator in overall paradigms of election campaign in Jammu & Kashmir, which saw BJP delivering an impressive performance and getting 25 seats and, as per many political watchers, brain and acumen of Gill played a crucial role in this regard.
Now, on second option terms, AS Dulat would be the other preferred choice as he has been a member of the National Security Advisory Board. Critics regard Dulat amongst one of India’s leading experts on Kashmir. A former special director of the Intelligence Bureau and former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, he also served as the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s adviser on Kashmir.
In nutshell, N N Vohra seems to have served his time and J&K waits for Gill to take over the reins of next Governor of Jammu & Kashmir.
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(The writer is the Kashmir-based freelance journalist and can be reached at [email protected] )