Author flags 'flip-flops' in Modi govt's policy on Kashmir

The falling of red Chinar leaves marks the arrival of autumn in Kashmir.
It also signifies a lull in the hostilities, an otherwise daily affair in the region.
Far from ground zero, people today gathered at the India Habitat Centre here to deliberate on the hot topic -- 'Jammu and Kashmir: What's the future?'
Author David Devadas, who has written extensively on Kashmir, blames "firefighting" to manage conflicts in the region for the perpetually volatile situation in Kashmir Valley.
It is only brought to a manageable level but never resolved completely, he said.
According to him, the talk about normalcy in the region, increasing the number of tourists or triumphant episodes against militancy, are in fact "dangerous".

"...because part of it is propaganda... It is meant to cover the fact that the conflict hasn't ended," Devadas, who has penned a new book, "The Generation of Rage in Kashmir", said.

Talking about the 2016 agitation following the death of militant leader Burhan Wani, the writer noted that now the conflicts were percolating even into areas that had not seen militancy in the nineties.
"The 2016 agitation was largely in the rural areas, the city barely saw much agitation, whereas in 2008 (Amarnath land transfer controversy) and 2010 (alleged fake encounter by an Indian army soldier), it was largely concentrated within the city," he said.

The writer went on to say that while hostilities in the state might fade out eventually for the rest of the country, they remain fresh in the "psyche of young Kashmiris".
"Most of us have forgotten the blindings that took place as result of pellet firings last year, but that remains a very strong part of the psyche of young Kashmiris, even now," he said.
The author noted that the problem lay in the fact that the Indian state has not had a "clear and consistent policy" for most of the 70 years.
"Even in the last three years there have been flip- flops," he said.

Devadas admitted that there is an ongoing dialogue now, but rued that it might be too late.
The Centre last month appointed former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma its special representative on Kashmir.
"If it had happened three years ago after the BJP came to power with the huge mandate, it would have been far more effective," he said.