Political Diary

New Delhi, 30 October 2010

Kashmir Mess Crippled

BY FOOT-IN-MOUTH DISEASE

By Poonam I Kaushish

It is in times of conflict that a nation exemplifies its driving force, core aspirations and ability to ride the political storm and come up trumps. This truism was brutally brought home last week by the loud cantankerous cackle on Kashmir. All busy dissecting, debating and deliberating the current imbroglio and shooting their mouth in all directions. Ignoring the harsh reality, the State is in the throes of a fresh uprising which is testing the essence of Indian polity and democracy. Who will win the battle of rage and resistance?

The tragedy of India is that like always the State blames Pakistan, its home-bred Lashkar-e-Taiba, separatists and youth weaned on Islamabad’s diatribe. To counter this New Delhi doles out more of the same, brute force and economic largesse. Miserably overlooking that the fault rests squarely at its doorstep. Of both New Delhi and Srinagar’s failure to understand that if Kashmir is burning today and demanding azadi it is because they have failed to convince the stone-pelting youth, born post 1947, that it is a part of India.

A generation bred on constant years of strife and violence has not only overcome the fear factor. But is also is politically aware of its rights, alert to the fundamentalists demand for self-determination and the denial of the same thanks to violence. Their angst is not merely against the violence. It is about a deep-rooted desire for a political solution to their long-festering problems. Encompassing, the right to self-determination.  

Raising a moot point: Does New Delhi realise that a new and potent political challenge has arisen in Kashmir? How it intends dealing with this? Does the Government have any long term plan to deal with the situation?

Sadly, no. The Centre’s lack of comprehension can be gauged from the fact that there is tragic confusion as to what precisely the three ‘interlocutors’ are supposed to do. Are they expected to convey to New Delhi the feelings across the political spectrum in Kashmir? Or are they to function as self-styled mediators to recommend a solution. Else, self-anointed arbitrators to settle the issue for return of peace and normalcy to the Valley?  

Recall, Nehru and his principle aide Krishna Menon time and again underscored at home and the UN that Kashmir was not a dispute and legally as also Constitutionally a part of India. Likewise it is only a “problem and issue’’ created by Pakistan.

Yet these self-opinionated interlocutors have transformed the “quiet dialogue” into “sound byte unilateralism.”  Shooting their mouth off by repeatedly calling Kashmir a “dispute.” Forgetting that Pakistan is only a part of the problem as an aggressor occupying a large chunk of J&K. And it has to end its occupation.

And yet one of the interlocutors shockingly, chose to equate the aggressor with the defender. Said he, “We are here to look for a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue… but a permanent solution is not possible without the involvement of Pakistan."

Clearly, he had no business to talk about Pakistan having a role in settling issues in Kashmir. Thus, in one fell-stroke he washed away decades of hard-nosed ‘core’ fact that Kashmir was an integral part of India. Whether India should discuss the Kashmir issue with Pakistan or not, is a matter for New Delhi to decide on. It is wholly outside the domain of an interlocutor.

This is not all. Another intermediary added more controversial grist by recommending amendments to the Constitution to accommodate a ‘solution’ in keeping with the ‘aspirations’ of the people. Plainly, implying that the Constitution could be amended to facilitate azadi or secession to meet the aspirations of those Kashmiris who subscribe to separatism.

Undoubtedly, this has created a piquant situation for the Prime Minister and further compounded the problem.  The interlocutors might find themselves shunned by people of Jammu and Ladakh regions where such outrageous utterances are bound to raise hackles. The consequences of which would have to be faced by the Centre. Thus, before further damage is caused the Government needs to rein them in.

Not only that. Part of the genesis of the problem is that since Independence, New Delhi’s overall response to the strife-torn State has been of pacification. Hoping that the problem would dissipate. Overlooking that peace cannot be measured by a decrease in infiltration from across the border or the number of killings and economic packages. These figures cannot capture the sense of political alienation of the post-1989 generation that has grown up in the shadow of guns and bloodshed.  Resulting in the present-day intifada-like situation in the Valley.

In fact, the recent violence once again highlights the Centre’s inability or should one say myopic limitations of total dependence on force to deal with the Kashmiris sense of alienation. Neither did this quell the stone-pelting mob but instead resurrected the disparate pro-Pakistan Hurriyat which closed ranks and succeeded in bringing centre-stage the call for azadi.

What next? The time has come for both New Delhi and Srinagar to post-haste address the “trust and Government deficit” particularly in the Valley. Indeed, the deficit is so enormous that a good number of measures seem to be negated even before they can be initiated or have had little impact on the ground in normalising the situation in the State.  The rejection of the interlocutors by the separatist leaders a case in point. 

Besides, it is all very well to have interlocutors but simultaneously efforts should be made to having a meaningful wide-ranging dialogue. Whereby the State would have to convince the alienated youth by adopting a two-pronged strategy: argument and action. Along-with formulating a political reconciliation process and being sensitive to the injustices suffered by Kashmiris.

At the same time New Delhi should implement all the measures recently announced in the eight-point package on Kashmir. True, all education institutions have been opened but curfew intermittently continues to be imposed in parts of Srinagar and other areas in the State. The Centre has still to scale down the presence of security forces and release all those detained since June last. Any action taken on that count has at best been cosmetic on the ground.

Unmistakably, the present gridlock calls for serious introspection and a shift in trajectory from an appeasing approach to a more direct modus operandi. First, we need to call a spade a spade and engage Pakistan aggressively. Three wars and decades of trying to have a civilized conversation on Kashmir has not yielded any results but only aggravated the problem.

We only need to demand return of PoK not discuss Kashmir. Given that Islamabad has illegally forced its way in by unleashing terrorism from within its borders. As long as Pakistan remains in the equation, a solution is impossible.

What Kashmir needs is a long-term plan, a fresh approach and a concrete hard-nosed comprehensive policy. Less of political romanticism and more of practical calculations. Given the stakes, the many players and the shifting sands of geo-strategic political equations, there are many ifs and buts which do not make a whole.

Ultimately, we will have to go by the wisdom of UNESCO’s basic tenet which states: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defence of peace must be constructed”. The sooner we realise this, the easier it will be for finding a panacea to the Kashmir imbroglio. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature  Alliance)