Opinion View From The Right: On South China Sea

While the Philippines is celebrating now, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia are also happy with this ruling according to the article. China knows that major powers would take advantage of this ruling and their alliances would be strengthened, it says.

“This sea has big reserves of oil and gas,” it says, and notes that the maritime trade of dozens of countries including India depends on this route.

The tribunal has ruled that “14 of the 15 objections of Philippines on the sea are genuine” and the historical claims of China on the marine territory of Philippines are baseless. “There is no legal meaning of the nine-dash line that China has drawn on the map,” it says.

China has rejected the ruling, and even “warned its opponents not to convert this region into a war zone”. Its Communist party immediately issued a white paper and challenged the ruling. “It’s clear that strategic and diplomatic alliances would be strengthened in the coming days,” the article says.

Burhan Wani’s death

The editorial in the Organiser, “Twists in the scripted tale”, comments on the killing of Burhan Wani, “an ideologically committed militant associated with a terrorist organisation openly in a war against Bharat”.

Contending that “he cried before facing death”, it says “what happened after the elimination of this dreaded youth is a scripted story”. Condemning the attacks on the “security forces” and the “Hindu-Sikh houses”, it also slams “secular intellectuals and celebrity journalists” who criticised the Indian forces for “their alleged high-handedness”.

It notes that the “state and central governments are on the same page”, as cross-border infiltration bids are ruthlessly foiled by the security forces. “The J&K police are showing unprecedented valour in normalising the situation,” it says.

While the separatists have requested the forces not to use “live ammunition against Kashmiris”, they ignore that the policemen who were pushed into a river by protesters “were also Kashmiri brethren”. “The turbulence in the Valley is no longer a limited concern of the people of the state but of entire Bharat,” it notes, and adds that “the aspiring youth of the state want to get rid of a life of uncertainty.”

“The separatists are exposed and losing their credibility,” it says.

Unrest in the Valley

The cover story in the Organiser is about the ongoing Kashmir unrest and says the Valley remained “under siege” as it was “instigated from inside and across the borders”.

It notes that the Valley has seen such situations in 2008 and 2010, but the present “unprecedented unrest” is “supported by pseudo-liberals from inside the country and the enemy from outside the country”.

“The way pseudo-seculars teamed up to declare dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorist, Burhan Wani, as the son of a school teacher is an indication that pre-determined strategy, and they were only looking for an opportunity to derail the process of establishing lasting peace and strengthening democracy in J&K,” it says.

Wani had let loose a reign of terror in South Kashmir since 2010 and had effectively used “social media to attract the youth”.

The unrest was aimed to interrupt the “first woman chief minister’s dream of restoring peace with dignity”.

Mehbooba Mufti “fearlessly identified those responsible for the trail of political, economic and social tragedies”.

“Shockingly, the mainstream parties of J&K, especially the opposition National Conference (NC) too has tried to fish in the troubled water,” it says, and slams former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for a “provocative tweet” that states, “Alas Burhan isn’t the 1st to pick up the gun & won’t be the last.”

(compiled by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)