With the Modi government running a second term and Amit Shah taking charge as Home Minister, Kashmir is high on the agenda. Friday, the Lok Sabha approved a statutory resolution to extend central rule in the harried state for another six months. This is not the first time, and in all likelihood this will not be the last time, the democratic process will be curtailed in J&K. The government alone is to be blamed for mishandling the Kashmir issue forever. This has nothing to do with who the political boss is. Prime Ministers come and go. Nation’s policy towards Kashmir and its problems had to be pro-people and low on oppression and intimidation. Sadly, that has not been the case primarily because, since the early 1980s when the Kashmir issue first raised its head in public, the desire to militarily oppress the people has never faltered. This has resulted in immense bleeding of the Indian exchequer as well as constant and high rate of mortality of the Indian armed forces. Unless an event is politicised, the daily deaths of numerous Indian soldiers go completely unnoticed in the rest of the country. The eternal desire of the string of political bosses at New Delhi has been to place so-called ‘strong and ruthless’ governors who will be totally pliable to the powers that be. The bureaucracy makes it look like a governor filled with a sense of vengeance alone could douse the conflagration. In the process, Indian armed forces also are known to have carried out inhuman killings, rapes and other atrocities on innocent villagers across the Valley. Over a period, these brutal activities of the Indian forces have only helped encourage animosity and hatred towards the ‘oppressor’ whereas efforts should have been to be stern but equally judicious. The opportunities of handling the Kashmir issue with kid-glove care have vanished into thin air. The situation has come to such a pass in the Valley that it will be extremely difficult to change policies abruptly and smoothen the hard edges. Admittedly, it is never too late for the Indian Union to gradually commence a policy of smoother handling. In other words, it is never too late to start a good work. However, present day India does not seem inclined towards cutting the enormous military costs involved and the death toll of Indian soldiers. The recent extension of the Central rule in that state is a huge indication of no shift in policy towards the problems of the Valley.
The state has been under central rule since June 2018, and this is the second extension after the PDP-BJP government headed by Mehbooba Mufti exited from power. Home Minister Amit Shah was in the state on a two-day visit this week prior to introducing a resolution in Parliament to extend Central rule. Notably, the separatists are lying low amid arrests of several leaders and the killing of some, in shoot-outs — a process that started with the extermination of Burhan Wani in 2016. In its aftermath, incidents of stone-pelting on armed forces became the order of the day. The security forces are not in a position to control it till this day. The nationwide hatred for Moslems that is being whipped up on a daily basis is not helping find a solution of any manner. The average Indian is incapable of comprehending that the Valley’s problems are not geographically limited. The nation’s wealth is being profusely bled with the high militarisation of J&K. If this money, spent in thousands of crores daily, could be saved, the rest of the country would have much better resources for development.
Notably, the Union Home Minister’s visit to Kashmir this time did not evoke the usual practice of a shut-down. Nor did Shah open any line of communication with the political and separatist leaders of the state. However, the usual bandh call announced every time a Union Minister lands in Kashmir not being implemented this time could imply either a desire, on the part of the locals, that the government take a positive attitude or it could be a complete hardening of stance against the Union government. Time alone will tell how both sides will behave.