Jammu and Kashmir: Much more Need to be Done
Asia News Agency
The state’s history and geography were altered in August 2019. The Valley was full of angry voices then and there was a sense of deep betrayal. Article 370 had been abrogated, the state had been cleaved into two Union Territories and the Kashmiri resented the assault on their liberty. Most of all, they were scared that a demographic change lay at the heart of the Centre’s move.
Today, after elections and a popular government, Harinder Baweja (writes on the trending topics; Analysis and top headlines at Times of India) examines whether the anger has abated. Has the widespread hopelessness and despair of 2019 given way to a fresh promise?
Has life changed: A taxi driver on whether his life has changed says ‘I have the freedom to speak. I also have the freedom to approach my MLA. There is a buffer now between the people and the lieutenant governor (LG). But Omar Abdullah, the new chief minister has limited powers. The LG is vested with more powers.’ But importantly, he says ‘I will never forgive them for abrogating Article 370.’
The same sentiment, writes Baweja “is echoed in the several other conversations I had with a vast section of people.”
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he was aware of how his political space had shrunk, but said he would try to do his best to ensure that the ‘window of opportunity’ that has opened up after the elections, is not wasted once again. He is acutely aware of the burden of expectations.
Lot of work remains to be done
There is a lot of work to be done, writes Baweja. “Scores of Kashmiri youth are still languishing in dimly lit, claustrophobic jails outside the remit of the Union Territory. Laws like the Public Safety Act which allows for detention without trial for two years were liberally used. Other laws like the UAPA were also used to curtail freedoms.
“The Kashmiris want their sons back. They also want the ‘bijli, sadak, paani,’ (electricity, roads, water) but in Kashmir, where the past is embedded in the present, they want to see the chief minister wage a battle that restores their dignity and their constitutional rights.”
The Modi government would do well to seize the window of opportunity and initiate a ‘dialogue’ on restoration of statehood at least. “The process of political negotiations will go a long way in healing the wound of 2019. Losing the opportunity would just be a horrible tragedy.”
