Home minister Rajnath Singh is in Kashmir for a two-day visit
- his second in less than a month. He is slated to meet officials from the
state administration, state leadership and other stakeholders. Do other
stakeholders include separatist leaders from the Valley?
The Indian government has been non-committal on the issue
and the August 12 all-party meet had seen a similar stand. Before embarking on
his visit this time, Singh held two rounds of talks with some eminent
non-Kashmiri Muslims - on August 18 and 21. It raises the obvious question: why
non-Kashmiri Muslims only or why Muslims only?
Some of the Muslim leaders present at the meetings were
Shahid Siddiqui, former Rajya Sabha member, Qamar Agha, security affairs
expert, Ishrat Masroor Quddusi, a judge of the Orissa High Court, Zafarul Islam
Khan, editor of Milli Gazette and MM Ansari, a J&K interlocutor.
One may interpret that these meetings say the government
thinks only Muslims can suggest better ways to handle the Kashmir unrest. If
so, is this not bracketing the whole Kashmir problem as some religious/community
issue? Or it is just half the story?
If Kashmir is an integral part of India, as every Indian
must believe, then isn't every Indian a stakeholder in the Kashmir peace
process, whether Hindu or a Muslim? The exercise that Singh has done in New
Delhi needs to see its extension in Kashmir. Most of the representatives in
these meetings felt that the Kashmir situation was mishandled and an immediate
course correction was needed.
The exercise that Singh will hold in Kashmir today and
tomorrow should adopt this context as its backdrop, otherwise it will further
alienate the Kashmiris who have genuine grievances.
The Indian security forces have efficiently checked
cross-border infiltration, yet the current phase of unrest is now in its 47th
day. That is unprecedented. An unrest so long cannot sustain itself if people
come to realise that their demands are illegitimate.
Though J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has said only
five per cent of Kashmiris are instigating the unrest and finance minister Arun
Jaitley has added that the stone-pelters of the Valley are "aggressors and
not satyagrahis", and blamed Pakistan for instigating the Kashmiri youth,
there seems to be a clear departure in the government's strategy this time.
The words of Mufti or Jaitley or other leaders on these
lines indicate a tough stand that does not endorse the dialogue process.
However, the efforts before Singh's visit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
recent emphasis on the dialogue process, reveal there is now a rethinking on
the policy adopted so far by the Indian and Kashmir governments. It makes sense
when we see the intent of Singh's visit in the context of the outcome of Modi's
meeting with the delegation of J&K's opposition parties, led by Omar
Abdullah.
Modi, after meeting the delegation on August 22, had
emphasised on the need for dialogue and to reach out. He tweeted after the
meeting: "I appreciate the constructive suggestions given during today's
meeting. All parties must work together to find a solution to J&K's problems."
Unlike Jaitley, he didn't paint the stone-pelters as
aggressors. When he said every life lost in the Kashmir unrest, be it the
youth, or security personnel or the police, is Indian, it was an indication of
the things to come. And then came news of Singh's visit.
Let's hope the momentum sustains this time. The deployment
of BSF companies in the Valley also tells us how serious the government is this
time. It seems it doesn't want to leave any loose ends. Initiation of the
dialogue process to find a credible solution is a must but for any such attempt
to succeed, it is also equally important to control the rogue elements who will
try to sabotage any peace initiative.
The additional BSF reinforcement will account for any
shortfall in security personnel numbers and will ensure effective patrolling of
areas.
©SantoshChaubey