It has been more than two and half months now, the post-Burhan Kashmir is at crossroads. The death toll has already crossed 88 including children, women, hundreds blinded with tens and thousands injured by ‘Indian security forces’, it appears now the people who are oppressed lot want a long lasting solution to this grave issue at any cost. They are not in a mood to let this phase of resistance go away like the 2008 and 2010. The schools, colleges, markets, trading industries, government offices and other institutions are completely shut. The prepaid mobile network, internet services, is barred and the transport communication is off the roads. The situation in Kashmir is in complete chaos and the normal life is paralyzed. At this juncture, the governing class who boast to be the ‘peoples representatives’ headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti are nowhere seen doing anything positive. She says that only “5% miscreants” are fueling the unrest which is a big joke. Her rhetoric is hard to follow when she attacks Pakistan on one hand and seeks talks with it on the other.
As A. S. Doulat said; she has become too much a part of Delhi and has left the current problem to the Centre. The opposition led by Omar Abdullah, too is not serious. The state government at this juncture seems completely confused and their masters in New Delhi are sending back to back army brigade companies to quell the ongoing resistance movement. They probably forget that more than a half million army could not quell the voice of Kashmir so far in last seven decades, so how is it possible now by sending more companies.
History has proved that coercion has never created consent, rather it has further fostered a void. The New Delhi is completely in a denial mode and confusing this movement as Pakistan sponsored’ which is not the case.
The Union Home Minister, Rajnath has already paid two ‘useless’ visits to the valley after the killing of popular Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani. Even a layperson fails to understand how the talks, headed by Rajnath Singh could be successful and fruitful, when the primary group of leaders representing All Party Hurriyat Conference neither is officially invited nor consulted.
The Hurriyat has a very important role to play if the result oriented talks are initiated and without them, it merely remains the game of words. The Centre need to talk to those who represent the aspirations and emotions of Kashmiris, rather those whose ambit of the mandate is confined to merely development works like roads, electricity and water. For a common Kashmiri, Rajnath’s visits were to buy time and to mislead the Indian media and masses by falsely claiming that the situation is under control which actually is otherwise.
Instead of taking some positive measures of minimizing the pain of Kashmiris who are the victims of atrocities since Partition, Rajnath Singh, on the one hand, is signaling the paramilitary troops to suppress the peoples movement with heavy hand and on the other allowing them to continue with the pellet guns.
The New Delhi’s ‘outdated and readymade rhetoric’ of blaming Pakistan for everything happening in Kashmir is no more relevant now. People in Kashmir are well aware of the grave atrocities and oppression of Security Forces backed by the Center and State governments which had paved the way for the radicalization of the masses in general and the youth in particular. All this has alternatively led to the extreme alienation of people in the valley.
It would be better for New Delhi to rethink and reconsider its policy on Kashmir dispute. Moreover, New Delhi needs to acknowledge that Kashmir is a genuine political issue having its essence in Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947. It needs to be addressed in its historical context. The sending Paramilitary battalions and announcing economic packages are neither going to help New Delhi nor going to solve the issue. The Kashmir issue needs a political solution and the people need psychological redressal. The sooner the better.
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