Win the trust of Kashmiris back

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 10/22/2020 11:05:45 AM


KALYANI SHANKAR It was unusual for the arch-rivals and former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pose together for a photo last week in Srinagar. It was Mehbooba’s father and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who had said that it was the coming together of the North Pole and the South Pole when his party had an alliance with the BJP to form the Government in 2017. Now the Abdullahs and the Muftis, the two influential families of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), have come together on account of their political compulsions. Signifying the beginning of the political process, the six non-BJP parties have come together to demand the “return to the people of J&K the rights they held before August 5, 2019.” Farooq Abdullah claimed that “our battle is a constitutional battle.” He also clarified that “at the same time, we feel the political issue of the State has to be resolved as quickly as possible” and “that can be resolved only through dialogue with all the stakeholders who are involved in the problem of J&K.” Analysts say that this new alliance could be a formidable political combination if it works. However, it is a very big “If” as Kashmiris have never stuck together. On August 4, 2019, the new alliance, named Gupkar, vowed to protect Kashmir’s special status. One year later, on August 22 this year, they met again to renew the pledge. The formal alliance was announced after Mehbooba was released after 14 months of detention last week. Besides the two NC leaders and the PDP chief, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference supremo Sajjad Ghani Lone as well as leaders of the Awami National Conference and People’s Movement were present. The only national party to join the alliance so far is the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Congress, which had signed the declaration this August, stayed away even though it had received an invitation. The new alliance is still evolving. The parties have come together for a broader cause as it gives them a platform. They are not like-minded politically but they have no option but to unite. The organisational structure of the alliance will be discussed in the next meeting. The first major step is unity and the rest will be decided as it evolves, say insiders who hope that this combination would win in the next elections if they put up joint candidates. There were no political activities in J&K after August 5, 2019, once the Parliament enacted a law revoking the special status for it and bifurcated the State. The Government also replaced Article 35A to define “permanent residents” of J&K. New Delhi had claimed that these measures would help bring peace and development to J&K after three decades of conflict. Post abrogation of Article 370, J&K has been in a state of siege and lockdown. The political leaders of the main parties were detained and the lockdown, too, has directly impacted all facets of life. Schools and colleges are closed. The tourism industry is dead. The health sector has taken a massive hit and has been overburdened with Covid cases. It was indeed a double whammy for them. But now, when all the leaders of J&K have been freed by the Centre and they have formed an alliance, the big question is, will the coalition find acceptance among the people of J&K? They have lost faith in the Central Government, the political parties and the State Governments that had ruled them till they were bifurcated and turned into a Union Territory. Many are convinced that the demand for restoration of special status would only become an electoral plank for the People’s Alliance. Hence, the test before the Abdullahs and Mehbooba will be to gain back the trust of the people and also strengthen their political parties. The next Assembly polls and delimitation are linked and no one knows when the elections will be held. Meanwhile, the Centre’s initiative to create and hold direct elections to the district councils is a new experiment. The plan is to divide each district into 14 territorial constituencies and hold direct polls for the councils, which will replace the District Development Boards. The MLAs will be members of this council but their powers will be diluted. If this works, it will be grass root-level governance. No doubt there is an urgent need to address the Kashmir problem at the domestic and international level. It is a good move to start the political process and probably both these initiatives could help achieve that. However, the political parties and the Centre need to bridge the trust deficit. Holding Assembly elections and processes for the restoration of statehood might also help heal the wounds. New Delhi has to think if it wants to revive the democratic process. Some experts say that unless we go back to the 1996 model, the problem in Kashmir will continue. Above all, the Government should resume the dialogue process with Pakistan as it is linked with bringing back normalcy in J&K.

 

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