Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Since the cat in Kashmir has gone out of bag, it has given an occasion to all political parties, columnist, social organisations, and every Tom and Jerry to comment in his own way, with regard to causes and concern for the same. This includes Pakistan and separatist minds across the globe and the big ones spearheading terror throughout the world. The news papers are abounding with regard to the prevailing situation in the Valley and many political Pundits discussing too many aspects of this agony. Clubbing the various reasons for the present turmoil as pointed out by number of experts and novice on the subject, we can sum up them as; Pakistan fomenting it to settle its score on Kashmir issue, Jehadi groups operating from foreign soil are co-coordinating, monitoring and dictating the operations, Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and many others are funding the un-rest in Kashmir, the failure of Mehbooba government, Hurriyat leaders spearheading the agitation, the stone pelters on the pay roll of trouble shooters and many more. Many leaders have now dared to speak about the attitude of separatists in keeping their children in foreign countries and thrusting the children of Kashmir to this ideology of stone pelting to vitiate the atmosphere in Valley.
Whenever any situation like at present in Valley erupts we speak of Kashmir reverting back to early 1989-90 events, what we never discuss the reasons behind that turmoil of early 1989-90, but my memory scroll back for the situation as an outcome of rigging of elections of 1987 in Valley to facilitate a particular political party in the Valley, when candidates of MUF were expected to show better results in the elections. So the first reason of Kashmir situation is political in nature and creation of politicians itself. Even we find that commanders of some Jehadi groups are post creation of these 1987 State Assembly elections. The creation of Hurriat and other separatists is subsequent by product to destabilise Kashmir and to keep their coffers filled with funding to keep alive the trouble in Kashmir. Although everyone is not an expert are authorised to speak on foreign policy of the nation, but in J and K, we are always talking on this topic with regard to Pakistan in the context of Hurriyat and separatists of the Valley. Here we find fluctuating mind of our Central Government, when at one hand it snapped talks with Pakistan and his Foreign Secretaries, mere on the reason of an invitation by Pak Embassy to Hurriayat for a cup of tea and our PM paid un-scheduled visit to Pakistan to bless on the marriage of his counter parts relative. This disturbed the Hurriayat and it is absurd to deny that it has no following in Kashmir, so it disturbed to them also. The Modi policy on Pakistan is under criticism at present. The funding to organise the stone pelters group is a reality but it is the governments, both at Center and State at any point of time, to be blamed in total failure to curb it. The tweezers in Hurriayat had swallowed to become crocodiles in the field of trouble shooters owing to this funding.
One very important reason for the present turmoil, which appear to be un-noticed by the analysers of the situation is the rejection of present combination of BJP and PDP Government, as seen on the funeral and subsequent gathering on the demise of late Mufti jee and during recent Assembly elections in Anantnag by-elections where PDP candidate and sitting CM just secured 16 per cent votes and realising it, CM accorded amnesty to stone pelters of 2010 onward. Since the time of Shyama Parshad Mukerjee, the ideology of the Kashmiri people is against the VHP, RSS and its political face BJP and it has ever remained an issue of un-furling of National Flag in the Valley by BJP and most attempted effort on 26th of January 2011, when it was led by then Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, and they were taken into preventive custody at entry point of J and K i.e. Lakhanpur, while defying prohibitory orders and presently Foreign Affairs Minister and Finance Minister of the present government. Owing to the encouragement of formation of BJP government in the Center, it stormed J and K with mission of 44+ to capture power in J and K and fielded its candidate in all seats of Jammu as well as Valley against its political allies NC, Congress, PDP, main contesting parties throughout the State. The PDP and NC were on the top radar of BJP in maligning these parties and sloganeering against throw out of these parties as biggest looters of treasury coffer pumped into the State by the Center. Whereas a wave was created in the Valley by Kashmir based parties about nefarious designs of this saffron party and it was propagated that voting to BJP means voting to VHP and RSS. The widely propagated ideology of the BJP by them was that of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and many slogans and statements were issued by BJP leaders against the non Hindus. Although BJP failed to register its presence in the Valley, but the propaganda let loose by Kashmir based parties about saffron brigade, kept deep prints on the Kashmiri mind and heart. The biggest blow to this mindset of Valley came in the shape of alliance of Kashmir based party and BJP twice. The subsequent alliance by Mehbooba was not at all expected by Kashmiri people as she kept BJP dancing for alliance and her intermittent statements indicating to keep distance with BJP. Ultimately the alliance again with BJP aroused burning pain in the heart of Kashmiri people and they were looking for an occasion to spit out their venom. Burhan’s killing gave them occasion. The government expecting gathering of thousands of mourners, in his funeral next day, stopped people proceeding to take part in the funeral, which led to protests and clashes in the southern part of the Valley, resulting into some deaths. Previously also we have witnessed eliminating of many militants and their top commanders by the forces and their funerals by the local people, without inviting such a big trouble like that of Burhan. Here we can say that government machinery deployed to maintain law and order failed to assess the situation of day one and government’s insensitiveness towards the situation, allowed it to be high jacked by the separatists and Hurriayat and thus the ugly face of stone pelters also appeared on the ground and every day the situation went out of control owing to moral support of even Pakistan and Jehadi commanders to the perpetrators of the situation. If we look through a 3-D goggle, we will find that it is the 10th day of Burhans killing and the protests are now not for his killing but for the killings and atrocities of the previous day by the forces. Many side statements and feelings of political leaders as well as some social organisations, that both militants and ordinary civilians including stone pelters cannot be treated in similar way is also strengthening the concept of over reaction by the forces.
We have seen many innocent people depriving their life, that may be during the arrest of then PM of J and K late Sheikh Abdullah in 1953, post election results of 1987 elections, land row of Amarnath Shrine Board in 2008, Shopian rape case in 2009, uprising against Indian State in 2010 and again in 2016, on the killing of Burhan but each and every time the happenings have been taken as ‘Law and Order’ problem and every time it has been responded by the government by imposing curfew, people confined to their houses totally deprived of civil amenities, banning of news papers, cable TV net work, Internet services, banning of coverage of the agitation and obstructing the journalist fraternity in performance of its duty towards the society and not beyond it taking any actual solutions. The last attempt of the government like all previous agitations is holding of all political party leaders meeting to find out the solution as is now scheduled for 21st July in Srinagar. As expected it will come out with a joint appeal for restoration of peace in the Valley, compensation to the victims of the agitation, amnesty to the stone pelters, fall out of some administrative heads in civil and police administration, setting up of an enquiry commission to look into the aspect of excessive use of force by the forces deployed to deal with the situation. This may go further in some changes in the ministries especially in BJP, who were a mute spectator in the present turmoil. There may be a rehabilitation package from the Center but these all are the beaten tracks. The ongoing turmoil will come to its rest for a while and with renewed energy to flare again at the relevant time and occasion as seen in previous agitations. Apart from bringing normal life back in Kashmir at present, the brute ideology of such element is required to be addressed at its root for viable results leaving aside political concern by all parties for the better future of the generation than to slide the arms of the clock to previous time.