Jammu & Kashmir and Indian Democratic Values

The prevailing situation of Kashmir Valley as it is unfolding every day to write a new chapter is known to everyone. There is hardly a single day has passed without any cycle of protests, stone-pelting, police firing and death of some protester and the situation seems to be spiraling out of hand of the State Machinery. The paradise is turning into hell with so much of violence that it is making even avg bollywood movie to shame. The visible anger seen in the tv footage and newpaper photos are testimony to frustrations of the people with the system. The curfews are unable to prevent the protesters from coming out of their houses, the law and order machinery is grappling to bring the state under normalcy and the state economy is in shatters. There seems to be no end to this vicious cycle.

The current situation requires a rethink on the approach to be followed to bring the State back into normalcy. The current spate of violent protest are quite different from the past when the foreign militants used to infiltrate and bring about large casualties in the State, now it is the locals who are protesting against the deaths caused by the police firings in mob control. They pelt stone in large quantity and in the month of June it was coming to light that virtually an industry has been created to supply the stone pelters and it was assessed that the phenomena of stone pelting will die out soon but it has not happened and even common man is on the street in good no of towns and villages and virtually Srinagar is being shut down by imposing curfew. the knee-jerk reaction to the problem is complicating the problem rather than solving it.

The leading causes of the current problem can be summarized to the following points:-

1. Trust Deficit between the Government and a big chunk of those who are governed
2. The approach used in early 90s to handle the insurgency problem is still continuing, and a whole generation has born into this period who has seen more guns than roses. The over presence of the security forces at every nook and corner of the valley( I saw this during my Bharat Darshan in 2005) creates fear psychosis.
3. Governance deficit: The outcomes in the state are not upto the mark, which seems to causing discontent.
4. Unemployment problem
5. Lack of emotional connect between Kashmiris and rest of the countrymen: During my civils exam I had a Kashmiri candidate in same interview board and he was saying that many a times he has been harassed in Delhi when policemen asked his identity. He could not qualify that year but I felt bad by hearing his experiences and despite of that he wanted to serve the country by entering into civil services.
6. Inconsistency in the approach to bring all sections of society in the process of democracy and governance.

There are many other issues which are playing some role in the current problem but the above are the main ones. The solution to the current problem will also come by addressing these issues.

In the last one week the Parliamentarians have taken a bold step to go to J&K and asses the situation themselves. Everything was viewed live on the television and MPs and the leaders have put their points and counterpoints. It was good to see everyone talking and following the treatise of Amartya Sen "Argumentative Indian". Although the issues raised by the leaders were quite varied from More Autonomy to Azadi but at least some dialogue took place and some understanding was seen. The visit to hospital and talking to the injured was a good gesture to the masses that We Care although it was marred by protests and they had to cut short the visits.

Today on 25th Sep, 2010 in the CCS meeting the Central Govt took a really good decision to form a group of interlocutor who will initiate dialogue with all the groups and other slew of measures to improve general conditions in J&K. 

Right now the international climate is quite favourable to achieve a meaningful solution to the problems in Kashmir. The genuine democratic aspirations of a common Kashmiri must be addressed to and the process of normalisation must be initiated at the earliest. The general view of Kashmir as a police state must be changed and the over presence of the security forces must be reduced. They should be confined to their barracks and the J&K Police must be strengthened to cope up with the law and order situation arising in Kashmir and proper training to the personnel must be given to change their methods which they used during the insurgency. In recent times it was observed through newspapers that the morale of the J&K Police is hitting low. The police handles a tough job and no policeman is trigger or baton happy on their own countrymen. The system has to uplift the morale of the police man otherwise the enforcement mechanism and protection of human rights of common men will suffer as the extreme elements will gain upper hand in case of ineffective police. 

A careful thinking on special powers of security forces is also required as in the present day of fast interchange of ideas between people living in distinct corners of the world, the value systems are also observed by everyone. Everyone wants a proper space for oneself and if by a special statute some basic values like freedom is curtailed, then the feeling of deprivation will lead to frustration and anti-system feeling as not everyone is mature enough to understand the necessities of such statutes. The dignity of a person and his family which is most basic to his human rights should be respected and keeping it in mind there is a need to revisit the AFSPA.

The dialogue process which is being initiated by the govt should continue in a consistent manner and it should not have an adhocist approach. It would be better if it would be a standing committee kind of so that a consistency is observed and the process should continue unabated evenif there is a change in Government at the Central/State level.

The outcomes of the developmental processes must be seen on the ground as recently there was a talk in media about high level of corruption in J&K. It was based on surveys but if it is true then it must be addressed urgently and the J&K should be made a modern model state and the Kashmiris living in PoK should feel the difference as they must have been feeling but the developmental process should be rapid and participation of people should be ensured in it. The Bhagidari model of the Delhi Government can be tried in Kashmir so that people participation through Welfare Associations can be ensured and the citizen-govt dialogue can be institutionalised.

The Kashmiris who are coming to different parts of the country should not be suspected as separatist or terrorist by default. They should be given proper respect and their rights must be respected as is the case for a common citizen of India.

In a nut shell the Government should stop treating J&K in a cautious manner. The lessons learnt from peaceful states like Mizoram should be used and the gradual normalisation process should be initiated. The Kashmiris are an integral part of India and the Constitution of India which gives every Indian citizen basic fundamental rights should be ensured in J&K. The overpresence of security men should be reduced and the J&K Police should be reoriented towards maintenance of law and order as per the CrPC and the mode of response should be changed to be more citizen oriented. Finally the citizens should be empowered and participative in developmental process and the outcomes of the developmental processes should be ensured on the ground.
[The views expressed are personal views and do not reflect the views of the Government]