Although there is little to suggest that the Centre will rethink its approach to Kashmir, the Government should try to calm tension
It is indeed a significant political development in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where prominent mainstream parties have joined hands to demand the restoration of Article 370 and Statehood. It was on August 5 last year that the Centre, after beefing up the presence of security forces and detaining leaders of Kashmir’s major political parties, revoked Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution and bifurcated the State into two Union Territories. There are multiple petitions before the Supreme Court about the constitutionality of this move now.
This is the first time in the last year that there is an indication of some political activity. In March, the National Conference (NC) leader, Dr Farooq Abdullah, was released along with many others but Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti and a few others are still under detention. This has attracted international attention on human rights abuse in J&K. In such a situation, the recent statement by Dr Abdullah at the end of his first meeting with other national and regional parties, including the Congress and the PDP, is indeed politically significant.
The joint statement said, “We are committed to strive for the restoration of Article 370 and 35A, the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and the restoration of the State as any division of the State is unacceptable to us. We unanimously reiterate that there can be nothing about us without us.” They also hinted at launching a joint struggle. Significantly, it is for the first time that the two rivals, the PDP and the NC, have come together on a single platform to resume political activities. Second, the very fact that the State administration allowed some political activity itself is seen as a significant step forward. Just a few days ago Dr Abdullah was not allowed to hold any meeting. But when the Centre informed the court that all these leaders were free, he cleverly called the meeting on August 22, presenting the Centre with a fait accompli.
Dr Abdullah claims that the Centre is trying to divide the Opposition, which is why it has released some leaders and kept some others in detention. Apart from Dr Abdullah, Congress State president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, CPI(M) general secretary MY Tarigami, People’s Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone and Awami National Conference vice-president Muzuffar Shah participated in the meeting. Mehbooba, who is still under house arrest, tweeted her support. However, the big question is, will the Centre agree to withdraw the abrogation of Article 370, which is a part of the BJP’s core agenda? The State BJP chief promptly reacted to the demand of the political parties. “Restoration of Article 370 and 35A are next to impossible. And the parties planning to push them are doing nothing but daydreaming,” Ravinder Raina said.
Manoj Sinha’s appointment as the new Lieutenant-Governor, the second in the last one year, has been welcomed in political circles as Kashmir needs a politician and not a bureaucrat now. There are many outside influences at work such as Pakistan, China and the militants. Sinha is tasked with restoring normalcy, dealing with the political class and expediting developmental works. There is also delimitation, which the BJP hopes will provide five or six more seats in Jammu. But this is likely to be completed only by next October. It is to be seen which comes first: The completion of delimitation or the elections. Second, there is a political vacuum in the State that needs to be filled. The third is holding elections.
Sinha might take the credit for opening up political activities in the State as he knows very well that at some time or the other political activities must resume. The authorities claim that in the last one year the number of Kashmiri youth who have joined the militants has come down by almost 40 per cent. But the people in Kashmir are disillusioned with the policies of not only the mainstream leadership but also the separatists. Post-August 5, among the political parties in J&K, only the BJP and the recently-formed Apni Party are functioning. Significantly, it is led by PDP dissenter Altaf Bukhari and is believed to be propped up by the Deep State. On the ground, nothing much has changed since last August. The people are facing a double whammy as they suffer from militancy on the one hand and the consequences of the complete lockdown in the last five months, on the other. Jobs are scarce and development work has been hit. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce claims that the loss in the last year has been about Rs 40,000 crore in the Valley alone while about 5,00,000 jobs have been lost. For now, the authorities should release politicians still in detention and allow political activity to resume. New Delhi should also take steps to curb abuses by the security forces. Although for now, little suggests that the Centre will rethink its approach to Kashmir, the Government should try to calm tension. Restoring the region’s statehood, a prospect to which the Modi Government has said it is open, would help.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
