Security Forces are eradicating terrorists but ideological distractions are to be corrected only by politicians

DAYA SAGAR

A question could be asked by some ” why the main opposition regional party of J&K, the National Conference had started appearing to some like toeing the separatist line, more particularly after 2014. Some may so simply reply that NC has been doing so since J&K People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had nearly ended the monopoly of National Conference in Kashmir Valley. No doubt the answer does lie around such like explanation but to reach the roots for the phenomenal change in the style of expressions made by NC even after 2002 one must understand the “magic mantra” that Mufti Mohd Sayeed’s PDP had used to make the people of Kashmir Valley rally around. J&K PDP just in 3 years from 1999 to 2002 threw nearly ultimate challenges on National Conference that Congress had not been able to press in even over 5 years even after having held the reins in Delhi for decades. In softness Government of India had particularly after 1965 allowed many anti Indian Government / anti 1947 accession / anti India sermons / view points to cultivate particularly in Kashmir Valley.
The “mantra” use by Lt Mufti Mohd Sayeed has been of the type that could better percolate in the growing separatist infested environment in the valley since many myths/ questions regarding J&K having not become as good an India as had become Punjab or Hyderabad after 1947 accession of the then princely states of Indian British Empire. And the mantra was of Self Rule framework that in simple terms professed like (i) naming the Pakistan Occupied areas of J&K as Pakistan ‘Administered J&K and the remaining part as Indian Administered Jammu & Kashmir (ii) joint control of India & Pakistan on some affairs concerning the “State” of Jammu & Kashmir through a Council for Greater Jammu and Kashmir having 5 members each as nominated by India and Pakistan (iii) Validity of currencies of both India and Pakistan in two parts of J&K (iv) leaving it to Greater Jammu & Kashmir to decide the import – export tariff between J&K and two main lands of India and Pakistan and other world (iv) professing Autonomy of J&K State from Indian Nation State (v) and going to people with the message that PDP Self-rule refers to autonomy from the nation-state of India,whereas autonomy demanded by National Conference connotes relative autonomy from the Government of India (although that was officially made public on 25th Oct 2008 where the PDP Selfrule Framework at para 59 says :- Autonomy refers to empowerment of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir vis-a-vis the Government of India. As such it becomes a part of the centre-state debate in the Indian federal set up. Self-rule on the other hand refers to the empowerment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, vis-a-vis the nation of India ).
And this ‘mantra’ ( Self Rule ) surely meant diluting the totalness of the 1947 accession of J&K with India n thereby finding some local acceptability as compared to Greater Autonomy of National Conference that called for just autonomy for government of the state from the central government. Support base of NC and and the support­base of PDP are nearly same i.e Kashmir Valley and both the parties have lesser gravity of stakes in Jammu and Ladakh regions since voices if any had been only from amongst some valley leadership that had been occasionally expressing resentments against non- fulfillment of some commitments made in 1947 by government of Indian (particularly by Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru , the then Prime Minister ) and reminding Indian people of J&K being a muslim majority state. And ofcourse Pakistan being there engineering separatist game plans in J&K.
SoJ&K has not routed NC in Kashmir Valley simply with the slogans against AFSPA 1990 or by demands like handing over Power Projects to J&K PDC but has routed NC more with talks of asking Government of India to focus more on “Kashmir Issue” and not issues in Kashmir ( Mehbooba Jee very truthfully had made her parties approach known while speaking in Lok Sabha on 16th June 2014 when she demanded government of India to specifically address to “Kashmir issue” than talking of issues in Kashmir ) which surely referred to questions on 26th October 1947 accession, J&K not being federally a state of India like Punjab, position of J&K w.r.t India, Pakistan & other world.
It was on 24 April 2017 that after meeting the PM & HM of India Mehbooba Mufti while talking to media Mehbooba Mufti Ji professed for talks regarding Kashmir issue (political solution to ‘Kashmir” turmoil ) with all stake holders including the Hurriyat Conference ( separatists). The then Home Minister Raj Nath Singh ji had already expressed desire to talk for solution with in the ambit of constitution of India with all the related stake holders to be identified on the advice of J&K Chief Minster and Mehbooba had included Hurriyat too in the stake holders ( no doubt it had been mentioned in the BJP-PDP agenda for alliance 1st March 2015) well knowing that Hurriyat leadership had rejected any talks for solution with in the frame work of Indian Constitution. May be PDP found the Hurriyat demands worth settlement with in the ambit of PDP’s Self Rule Frame Work (document made public in a press conference by Lt Mufti Mohd Sayeed on 25th October 2008 and reported in media on 26th Oct 2008 ) which professed Autonomy from India Nation for J&K State. India Government and no leading all India level main political party has so far questioned the contents of the PDP Self Rule Frame work ( have instead treated the concept as mainstream) and such style of handling of J&K affairs has surely allowed some otherwise myths about India ‘J&K’ relations to find some local attentions in ‘valley’.
No doubt Indian Army / Security Forces/ UT Police are doing their job very effectively even by making extreme sacrifices but they can only eradicate terrorists/ militants/ infiltrators but the ideological pollutions/ confusions/ distractions that are created by myths/ wrong information have to be medicated /eradicated by the social/ political cadres by stepping in amongst the innocent unprotected common masses and that process has yet to be started by the local political cadres by being amongst the common masses. Ofcourse Government too need to make clear which of the concepts like Greater Autonomy of NC, Self Rule of PDP. Achievable Nationhood do not fall in mainstream.

(The author is a Sr journalist and analyst of J&K Affairs activist [email protected]).