Jahangir, the fourth Mughal emperor once said, “Agar Firdaus ba roy-i zamin ast, hamin ast-u hamin ast-u hamin ast,” which translates to, “If there is a heaven on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.” The recent developments in Kashmir prove that even heaven can be war-torn and bloodied. Shah Faesal’s resignation from his bureaucratic position, to protest the unabated killings in Kashmir, clashes between government forces and Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district of Srinagar, increase in ceasefire violations, civilian killings, abduction of police personnel, and an ever-lowering voter turnout in the valley, are indications of poor governance in Jammu and Kashmir.
The governance has been poor for a period long enough for it to qualify as a “failed government”, particularly because Kashmir has been subject to a trial-and-error approach for far too long. In 2017, the Government tried to introduce a new model of governance in Kashmir by cracking down on the insurgent youth and attempting to undermine the autonomy of mainstream political parties in the region. Evidently, the model failed. Any model based on suppressing a rebellion instead of addressing the aspirations behind the rebellion, will fail. It is important to fully understand the historical complexity of Kashmir before delving into solutions.
The Kashmir dispute initially started as an ethnic issue but over time, it has been politicized into becoming a politico-religious affair. Kashmir is not a single-faceted problem, but a political, economic, territorial, cultural, and military problem. And, the primary reason why the Government has failed Kashmir is because Kashmir has never been a priority for a Government that pushes for Hindu majoritarianism.
Kashmir, being a Muslim majority state, can only be saved through measures to establish a sense of secularism and multi-ethnicity, because the majoritarian policies of the incumbent government have only strengthened the feelings of separatism in Kashmiris. We need the government to take an active interest in the region and adopt assimilationist measures between Jammu, which has a 60% Hindu population, and Kashmir. We need to acknowledge the Simla Agreement signed after the war in 1971, we need to remind Pakistan of Bhutto’s promises.
In fact, now is the time to enter into diplomatic dialogue with Pakistan and make the LoC into an international boundary between the two countries, this measure will strengthen national security while also reduce the military deployment in the region and the need for implementing AFSPA. The political parties in the valley should systematically develop a youth wing, in order to address the aspirations of the youth.
The government has to reduce the trade and commerce monopolies in the region and Kashmir has to open its doors to privatization as well as international investment, which will, in turn, increase employment opportunities and lead to a decline in the insurgent movements occurring in the valley. Insurgency in the valley has increased not only for political purposes, but also due to economic compulsions.
Terrorist organizations offer the youth one of the most accessible and easy ways to earn a livelihood, hence peace in the valley will require the creation of economic alternatives. The government has to cut down on the counter-terrorism activities as well, because these have only increased the feeling of insecurity, intolerance, and vulnerability in the citizens of Kashmir.
The government has to initiate a dialogue between India and Pakistan through a bilateral treaty, to reduce cross-border terrorism and culminate the ongoing proxy war between the two countries, because all the counter-terrorism activities are also consuming resources which can otherwise be used for civilian welfare measures in the valley.
Kashmir is a complex issue because almost every government has failed at understanding the people of the region. Kashmir has been treated more as a non-living state that needs to be protected aggressively, than a state with people who have altogether different cultural aspirations. In an attempt to maintain our hold on Kashmir, we have sidelined the Kashmiris. Kashmir presents a chain of problems that fuel one another. Unemployment fuels insurgency, insurgency fuels political unrest, political unrest leads to increased military deployment in the region, and the chain goes on.
In the end, it is necessary to understand that good governance is citizen-oriented. The Kashmiris should be allowed to decide their future according to their own aspirations, and the government can achieve this by reaching out to the people through public polls. Political parties can design their mandates in accordance with the needs of the people. The Indian government has to interact with the Kashmiri separatists because this is an issue that has been aggravated by a lack of understanding and appropriate diplomacy.
If people feel that their elected representatives are working for them, not only will insurgency reduce, but voter turnout will rise. The separatist demands cannot be heeded because of the UN resolution, but what can be done is that Kashmir can be given the right to self-determination, as promised under the UN resolution. The government has to see eye to eye with the Kashmiris and they have to systematically determine what is best for them.
Kashmir has been speaking for long, it is time we listen.
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