JAMMU: Jammu is standing at a critical juncture as it prepares to enter 2025 in a few days’ time from now. Like all other people, the region is looking forward to a great year ahead in which it seeks to move forward and reverse all the reversals of fortunes it has suffered all along. This kind of hope is tempered at the end of each year while waiting for New Year.
There was a time when Srinagar used to be considered as political capital of the erstwhile state, and Jammu strutted as the financial capital. It was hub of all the trade and nerve centre of economic activities in business and industry. It was a big destination of the goods coming from other parts of the country before moving to the Valley, and likewise Kashmir fruit passed through Mandis of Jammu. Certain developments over the years have changed profile of Jammu. It is now struggling to retain its position as the financial capital, which was its original strength.
Economic activities flourish and gain momentum only when there is an unshakable peace and political stability. At a time when Kashmir was rattled by all the terror-violence and its politics was consumed by the terror attacks, many in Kashmir sought refuge in Jammu to escape the life-threatening violence over there. Jammu hosted them – not only Kashmiri Pandits, who were victims of an organized campaign by Islamists but all others who were deemed to be obstacle in fulfilling their design to establish an anti-India zone in Kashmir. Pakistan was backing this campaign.
That was the time when the political system should have used it as an opportunity to develop an all-time development, keeping its business interests and enterprise in mind. That also was the time when Jammu made several sacrifices – it suffered from an unwelcome tag of being part of the terror-hit state. The national media, in its over enthusiasm to tell how dangerous J&K has become because of Pakistan-backed terrorism , displayed a massive ignorance of the state’s geography and the demographic character , and announced that terror attacks were taking place in J&K even when such incidents were confined to some remote area of the Valley. Despite protestations by the business community and others, particularly some of the leaders of Jammu, neither the national media nor some of the responsible sections of political leadership pronounced the exact geography. This has been the bane of Jammu.
The tragedy is that approach has not changed. Jammu is seen on the map of trouble-hit J&K, but when it comes to showcasing the virtues, a squinted view is played out. Everything is seen except Jammu, its beauty, business capabilities and entrepreneurship. Jammu is the lesser spoken region, the whole thing is phrased in one word while describing the whole of J&K. This is deliberate. Jammu is not only marginalized but pushed to brink. This has added to the challenge as some of the positive developments, because of the pursuit of positive initiatives of the Government, have missed the aspirations of the people. For example, a big initiative and which will soon see the world watching train moving to Kashmir from all parts of the country, is also a project that Jammu would have wanted its halt at day-time and Jammu projected as a destination. The Expressway is good but better it would have been had this city and its needs also taken into consideration. Jammu is supportive of these developments and it went out of its way to extend its helping hand, but its own aspirations have not been fully realized
So at the turn of the year on calendar, Jammu should make its own calendar of the work- what to achieve in 2025 so that it can become self-sufficient on its own. In thus digital and inter-connected world, of which India has become a leader, Jammu will have to work in this matrix. The business and political leadership should not get pleased by the gratitude that others pay to its unending hospitality rooted in Dogra traditions, but work to carve out its own space in this matrix. Flood the policy makers with suggestions and persuade them to recognize Jammu’s potential and translate that into reality. Jammu has had enough of lip service.
