Integrating J&K

To gain credibility, the clampdown needs to be relaxed

It has been three weeks since the Narendra Modi government read down the provisions of Article 370 for Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) but the promised return to normalcy remains elusive. The fact that an opposition delegation was prevented from visiting Srinagar over the weekend, and a person died in stone-throwing on Sunday — a familiar pattern these past three decades — underlines this ground reality. To be sure, the lockdown was an open-ended exercise: Home Minister Amit Shah had told the Rajya Sabha that full status would be restored to J&K at “the appropriate time”. The definition of “appropriate” is unclear. But if it is to add credibility to its claim that abrogating Article 370 and splitting the state into two Union Territories were in the best interests of the people of J&K, New Delhi’s confidence-building exercise needs to start now. A prolonged lockdown on mobile connectivity, limited access to the internet, the heavy presence of security forces, and continuing curfew cannot continue beyond a reasonable period. 

That Kashmiris are yet to be convinced of the virtues of the constitutional exercise conducted on their behalf by Parliament is evident. Schools are open but few children are attending and government offices are still assailed by widespread absenteeism and the bazaars are deserted. This dormant sense of angst is more difficult to confront because there is no knowing in what form, where, and when such emotions will erupt. It is equally true that Kashmiris may not be able to sustain this state of affairs indefinitely. But with Pakistan and China in the equation, externally sponsored militancy remains a threat. This implies the continuing heavy presence of security forces, complete with the legal impunity that has been the cause of deep-seated resentment among ordinary Kashmiris. Now that the state is under central rule, New Delhi’s outreach programme demands sensitivity and imagination. There is no point in the governor claiming it is all peace and quiet in the Valley, while the military and the administration say the lockdown will have to continue. It’s high time the Centre kick-started the process of investment, skill building, and expanding job opportunities for the Kashmiri youth. 

External compulsions as much as domestic optics also dictate why J&K needs to be seen as functioning as normally as possible. Despite Pakistan’s fulminations, the international community’s response has been muted. Even US President Donald Trump has retracted his offer of “mediation”, recognising J&K’s borders as India’s bilateral issue with Pakistan. If the state descends into chaos again, the Western powers may seek ways to intervene — the very contingency Mr Modi sought to avoid by abrogating Article 370. At the very least, his address to the UN General Assembly on September 28 should be able to report the start of J&K’s peaceful integration into the Indian state. A draconian clampdown on its leaders and people is unlikely to convince anyone of the wisdom of an essentially unilateral constitutional change. Prosperity in the state needs to be preceded by peace, and the first step should be to take measures that would raise hopes among the people of the state that their lives would improve within a reasonable time frame.