After a three-day visit of the strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir, a groups of eminent citizens, led by ex-minister Yashwant Sinha has concluded that the sense of "dismay and despondency" had grown among the people and the situation was "much worse" than their previous visits.
In a release, the Concerned Citizens Group (CCG) has said that during its visit to the state on August 17-19, they met with some representatives of prominent political parties, office-bearers of the J&K Bar Association, civil society members from Srinagar, Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama, and Kupwara in North Kashmir.
They also met with college students.
The report of the CCG, comprising Sinha, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, Sushobha Barve (Executive Director, Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation) and journalist Bharat Bhushan was released today.
"The most disquieting conclusion of the interactions this time around was that as compared to the previous visits, the sense of dismay and despondency in the people had grown," the group said.
They said the proximate reasons for this not only seemed to be the "lack" of dialogue with the Kashmiris but also because tourism had plummeted, hotel business was in dire straits, there was flight of capital and an overall economic downturn leading to greater unemployment and economic distress.
The CCG had visited the Valley several times during the unrest last year.
"The situation (this time around) was much worse than the previous two years," the release said quoting the third report of the Concerned Citizens Group (CCG).
Sinha, a BJP veteran leader, was the Minister for Finance and External Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
The group said the distance between rest of India and the Kashmiri youths seems to have "increased". This was evident in the fact that even the people who used to talk reasonably earlier were using "the language of the militants and separatists this time".
"People complained not only of the military approach to the problem of Kashmir, but also of a judicial/Constitutional aggression against the people of Kashmir in attempts to undo Article 35A of the Indian Constitution which ensured special rights for the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir," it said.
The CCG said the only saving grace was that in personal discussions prominent members of civil society continued to use cautious and measured language which suggested that there was still a constituency for peace.
It said this also suggested that societal leaders were willing to make an effort to end the violence and ensure a peaceful atmosphere so that a dialogue could begin to address their issues in less emotionally charged manner.
"This was very encouraging as was the positive response of the people to the Prime Minister's message on Independence Day-- that Kashmiris need a hug and not abuse or bullets. People said that they were waiting for the operationalisation of PM's message and hoped that this would happen soon," the group said in the release.
It said there was all round opposition to "attempts to revoke" Article 35A of the Constitution of India.
The "judicial raking" of the Article 35A issue seems to have pushed the demand for "Azadi" to the background (it has, however, neither disappeared nor become secondary, only less urgent) as people see the attempts to change rules for special rights of people of J&K as an existential threat and of changing the Valley's demographic profile, it said.
"People believe that revoking Article 35A can potentially lead to a demographic change in the state as outsiders are facilitated to buy land and property in the state. This was completely unacceptable to them.
"The simmering anger also stemmed from the belief that the central government was a 'passive collaborator' in the petitions filed before the Supreme Court of India," it said.
The group said this belief was strengthened not because of the statements from the ruling party in New Delhi and its frontal organisations but the Centre's attitude itself.
"So Kashmiris openly alleged that the judicial attack on Jammu and Kashmir's special status was being 'stage-managed' by the central government," it said.
The Supreme Court had last month asked for a response from the Centre to a writ petition filed by an NGO seeking that Article 35A be struck down.
The petition said the state government, under the guise of Article 35A and Article 370, which grant special status to the state, has been discriminating against non-residents who are debarred from buying properties, getting a government job or voting in the local elections.
Article 35A was added to the Constitution by a Presidential order in 1954.
Article 370 grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir while Article 35A empowers the state legislature to define "permanent residents" of the state and their special rights and privileges.
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