Rajnath Singh, during his visit to J&K, refused to extend formal invitation to engage in talks. Sans this engagement, the road-map for permanent solution to Kashmir raises more questions than it answers
On his fifth visit to Kashmir in 14 months since a massive uprising erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in July 2016, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appeared to be confident and assertive if not altogether accommodative. He stayed in Jammu & Kashmir for four days; met as many as 74 delegations; addressed the Press twice in Srinagar and Jammu; and travelled to the camps of police and security forces from Anantnag in Kashmir to Nowshera in Jammu & Kashmir — to assert his point that the situation has been brought under considerable control after the last year’s upheaval.
Rajnath Singh, who has been repeatedly asserting that the Union Government has embarked on a mission to find permanent solution to Kashmir problem, linked his latest outreach to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, where the latter asserted that solution to Kashmir problem could not be found by bullets and abuses; but by embracing the Kashmiri people.
On the face of it, law and order situation in Kashmir has improved over the past several months. There are no processions of tens of thousands of people in support of azaadi; killings and unbridled use of pellet guns have stopped; and normal activities of people have largely resumed. Mainstream political leaders are now able to move around and semblance of developmental activities, like blacktopping of roads and conduct of sports festivals, are noticeable.
Incidents of stone-pelting have come down, though the swell of people at the funeral of slain militants remains an invariable norm. Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti moves around rather than sulking in her office chair or home sofa. This situation made Rajnath Singh to assert the fact that trees of peace have not dried up in Kashmir as, “I can clearly see the green shoots of peace”.
A change in the situation has, however, not come automatically. Confrontation between dissenters, especially the armed rebels and the security forces, has not completely come to a halt though the security establishment seems to have regained an upper hand.
Soon after the public uprising that came in the wake of Burhan Wani’s killing dissipated after five months last fall, security forces began an all-out synergised effort to crush the rebellion. Separatist political leadership, that maneuvered the umpiring, was choked through arrests and unprecedented curbs on their movement.
Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat declared that stone-pelters, trying to disrupt anti-insurgency operations, were akin to militants; and they were actually treated like that. So far this year, 25 civilians have been killed on being stone-pelters or onlookers. The biggest challenge to the security grid was, and continues to be the presence of militants and a sudden swell in their number in post-Burhan phase.
Though there are around 229 active militants, both local and foreigner, security forces have managed to kill 143 of them, including at least eight top-ranking commanders like Abu Dujana and Yasin Yattu. Raids on hideouts are a common feature and sometimes, especially in south Kashmir region, where 113 militants are operating. There is not a day when cordon and search operation is not conducted in any part of the region. Area domination has been enhanced to the extent that in Shopian district alone, six new Army camps have been established in recent months.
This state of affairs has instilled fear among the masses and militants have resorted to reactionary tactic. Since January this year, 57 security persons have been killed in Kashmir, 26 of them constables and middle-rung officers of Jammu & Kashmir police. This is the highest number of police casualties in Kashmir during more than a decade.
On the other hand, apart from curbing the movement of separatist leaders, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) began an exhaustive crackdown on alleged terror funding from across the border. Following a sting operation by a Delhi-based TV channel that exposed few separatist leaders and activists conceding to be the recipients of terror funding, the NIA filed a case in May this year to crack the whip on separatists.
Several separatist leaders, both from factions of the Hurriyat Conference, traders, lawyers and businessmen, have been rounded up, formally arrested or thoroughly quizzed. The State Government is encouraging the NIA and the operation has eventually shaken the separatists’ castle.
So, semblance of normalcy has a lot of military might and tactical handling of the situation in the backdrop. Kashmir is not completely normal because tourists have not returned. On slight apprehensions, Internet is snapped, educational institutions are closed and prohibitory orders are imposed in sensitive areas. For the common people, this has become a new normal. In this background, the emerging situation throws a bigger challenge. This is not for the first time that semblance of normalcy has returned to Kashmir. There have been occasions when militancy was completely wiped out from certain areas. Kulgam district was once declared as militancy free zone but now it has thrown the highest number of fresh recruits to militancy.
Rajnath Singh spelled out his formula for Kashmir peace in five ‘Cs’ — compassion, communication, co-existence, confidence-building and consistency. This appears to be a roadmap and that the Union Government wants to arrive at a permanent solution of the Kashmir problem.
The Union Government has to walk the extra mile to alley the apprehension of the Kashmiri people. On his five ‘Cs’ formula, this writer asked Rajnath Singh that he ignored the mention of a crucial ‘C’ that stands for the special constitutional position of Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370 and 35A, which is off-late under threat and a cause of anxiety for the common Kashmiris.
Even as Rajnath Singh declared that New Delhi won’t take any step that would hurt the sentiments of the people of State, questions abound as to why the Union Government did not take steps to defend the constitutional position in the Supreme Court where the matter has been taken by an NGO, which is supposedly affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Though he described the controversy over article 35 A as non-issue, the matter has already caused political uncertainty and consternation in the region as it is being linked to the existence of the people. For tangible results on the ground, Kashmir watchers believe, political engagement with separatists and Pakistan is a pre-requisite. However, Rajnath Singh did not lay any importance to this aspect. He said he was willing to talk to anyone, including the separatists, but they should come forward.
The Union Home Minister refused to extend a formal invitation and also blamed Pakistan for not being forthcoming to peace overtures from India. Sans this crucial engagement, the road-map for permanent solution to Kashmir raises more questions than it answers.
(The writer is a Jammu & Kashmir-based correspondent, The Pioneer)