Srinagar calling

Time to begin the fight for the Kashmiri mind

There is no denying that, at the end of the day, what matters in Jammu and Kashmir is how the people’s aspirations are fulfilled. The nation’s fight against terrorism will not succeed unless the fight for the Kashmiri mind complements it. It’s in pursuance of this that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the Valley recently. But, unfortunately, the assassination of Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone overshadowed that visit, with the result that he could not initiate a political process. For much the same reason, the announcement of the Rs 6125-crore economic package for the state could not have the desired impact. It is against this backdrop that Vajpayee goes to Srinagar once again shortly. Already, a Central team is in the state, ostensibly to review the arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra but essentially to prepare the groundwork for the PM’s visit.

In the interregnum, the tension on the border has eased and the war clouds have disappeared. The government is now in the right frame of mind to contemplate a major political initiative. The arrest of pro-jehadi Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has come as an opportunity for the moderates within the umbrella organisation to assert themselves. They too know that with the tightening of the screws on the jehadi outfits in Pakistan, the crossing over of insurgents has been considerably stemmed. This should free them from the tyranny of the likes of those who were responsible for the killing of Lone. They need to be induced to take part in the elections due in September and that is the primary objective of the government.

It knows that it is only by ensuring a totally free and fair poll, one that can even stand international scrutiny, that the future can be secured. Whether the elections should be conducted under Governor’s rule, with impartial monitors to oversee the whole process, is a matter of detail. But the Kashmiri people should feel that any kind of autonomy is acceptable to the Centre so long as it is within the framework of the Indian Constitution. Vajpayee’s personal intervention to have the state’s annual Plan outlay increased by nearly Rs 400 crore is a measure of his goodwill, which now needs to be translated into a major political initiative to usher in real democracy in the state.