Flag row: All eyes on Ghantaghar today

Srinagar: After chaotic events for last week or so, all eyes would remain on Ghantaghar in heart of the Srinagar on Wednesday as both BJP and pro-independence JKLF vow to defy state government backed by congress in New Delhi to hoist flag on the clock-tower.

Even as the tower, presently undergoing facelift, remained in news more often than not in contemporary political discourse in Kashmir, it has attracted added attention in this part of the globe in immediate past especially after BJP’s youth wing announced to hoist flag on R-Day.

Once the BJP announced to unfold tricolor, the JKLF threw an up an open challenge to the party to see “whose flag would be hoisted” atop the clock-tower on January 26.

Since then both parties have turned the heat up on the event while as government led by Omar Abdullah declared not to allow any event that it said would vitiate the atmosphere in Kashmir, described  as “very sensitive” by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while he called for restrain during his latest appeals for peace.

As the event draw closer, the main leadership of BJP threw weight on its young cadres and deported top leaders including Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to Jammu and Kashmir.

Both these leaders were part of the high profile delegation of Indian parliamentarians that visited Kashmir valley in September last year.

While the tricolor was not hoisted atop the clock-tower on I-day in August 2010, the party could not called such rally as the valley was all flared up and in the middle of summer unrest that subsided only after consuming over hundred lives.

The JKLF, the pro-independence party that threw up the challenge has remained hushed while as its top leadership went into hiding to evade arrest by police. The JKLF is supported by Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and some of its leaders have also gone underground to add to the suspense.

Amid all this, the state government has remained firm on ground and continues to be cool on the event as was evident from situation at the ground zero, the Ghantaghar. Even as there was strengthened posse of paramilitary CRPF and police deployments, the normal life remained unaffected as people moved smoothly.

The State Government on January 20 last announced formally that it would not allow any program that would disturb the Valley.

The government has already directed the Civil and Police authorities to ensure that all measures were taken to ensure that the law and order in the state was not disturbed in the run up to the R-Day.

The announcement was made after a high level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, participated among others by ministers Abdul Rahim Rather, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Surjeet Singh Slathia,  Sham Lal Sharma, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Raman Bhalla, Advisor to the Chief Minister Mubarak Gul , Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana, Chief Secretary S.S. Kapur, Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda, Principal Secretary Home Department B.R. Sharma, Additional Director General of Police Law & Order K. Rajindra, IGP CID, B.Srinivasan and IGP Jammu Dilbag Singh.

Following the meeting, the congress leadership in New Delhi including Home Minister P Chidambaram and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced open backing to the Omar-led government to prevent any program at the heart of the city.

Who has the upper hand at the end of the day would be known tomorrow and the clock-tower would be in focus despite defunct clock inside.