Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir culminated in a clear directive to security forces: sustain the gains made post-Article 370’s abrogation and intensify the crackdown on terrorism. He called for inter-agency coordination, area domination, and a “zero terror” goal to consolidate the relative peace achieved in the region in recent years.. If anything, this shows that the security still remains top of the priority for the centre in Kashmir, and it doesn’t want to take any decision that might be deemed to undermine this focus. Hence, perhaps the lingering delay in the restoration of statehood. But who knows, like the Assembly polls last year, the central government may pleasantly surprise the people of J&K on this score as well.
As of now, however, the centre hasn’t revealed its cards. Both the prime minister Narendra Modi and the home minister Amit Shah have time and again promised the restoration of statehood at an appropriate time. What they have not given so far is the timeline. This is because the existing arrangement is seen as ideal from the centre’s standpoint and the union government might be loath to alter this favourable arrangement by granting an early statehood to J&K. More so, when there also are far bigger reasons to withhold it. Centre, it is believed, is unlikely to let go of control on the security agencies and the allied security related matters, lest it unravel the gains made in recent years. The recent rise in militancy-related violence is likely to further dissuade the central government from handing over complete control over the region to an elected government. At the same time, it would be increasingly difficult to ignore the aspirations for statehood in the UT, as this will only deepen alienation. Best available option for the centre is to trust the elected government with running the state of affairs and make it accountable for its actions.
Also, the logic of the security can perpetually hold hostage a political call on the grant of statehood in the near to medium future. It is true that Kashmir has come a long way in recent years and since the assumption of office by the elected government the gains have been further built on. At the same time, for all the existing prolonged stability, Kashmir remains an unpredictable place. An occasional spurt in the violence can be an endless point of bother, even though it may not detract from the larger normalcy. So, the centre shouldn’t delay statehood further and trust the elected government with doing its job, in turn giving people of the region a sense of empowerment.
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