Winning minds in J&K

The PM’s stance of adaptability could pay dividends

It would be naive to conclude that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir was either a resounding success or a dismal failure. When asked about the gains made, Vajpayee was realistic enough to eschew euphoric language and state that the ‘‘process has just begun, the dialogue will continue’’. Three significant developments, however, marked that visit — Lone’s assassination on Tuesday, the aggressive Kupwara address to soldiers on Wednesday and the clear signal sent out at yesterday’s press conference that the Union government still has an open mind on the autonomy question.

The Centre’s approach seems to be two-fold. On the one hand, signal to Pakistan that India is at the end of its tether, particularly with regard to terrorist violence in J&K — the Lone assassination being the latest in a series of mindless strikes — and, on the other, letting the people of the state know that the country is committed to bringing normalcy to people’s lives and democracy to the polity. How successful the Union government will be on both counts will need the verdict of history, however the adaptability that the PM displayed vis-a-vis the vexed autonomy question promises some forward movement on hitherto frozen positions. It may be recalled that while the J&K Assembly had passed a resolution on autonomy for the state, the Centre had at that stage set it aside on the grounds that the reversal to the pre-1953 status for the state would amount to regression. But autonomy to J&K could help address the popular clamour for a distinct identity within the Union. It could, if actualised on the ground in a holistic manner, help counter the appeal of the jehadi elements. Therefore, more than the special economic package of Rs 6,165 crore that he promised on Thursday, it is autonomy that could be the key to changing political equations in J&K.

Predictably while Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Jamaat-e-Islami and one of the most pro-Pakistan leaders of the state, preferred to keep silent on the autonomy question, he rubbished the PM’s economic package, arguing that it was not for money that the Kashmiris had made so many sacrifices. The other aspect that clearly troubled him was Vajpayee’s offer for talks with the Hurriyat, while making it plain that Pakistan could not be included in such an intervention. The challenge then for the Centre is quite clear — to keep Pakistan and the jehadis at bay while attempting to win the hearts and minds of the Kashmiris, in all seriousness and with all sincerity. This process will, of course, have to start with the moderates but Lone’s murder indicates just how difficult it could be. It would, however, be a mistake to assume that the hardliners have the complete run of the state. There is a great deal of anger against Pakistan, which was quite evident in the initial angry response to Lone’s death, with many laying the murder at the door of the ISI. India, by depending heavily on the army to do its talking for it, has unfortunately not been able to benefit from the people’s suspicion of Pakistan’s motives and anger over the blood-letting enterprise of the jehadis. The forthcoming J&K elections, therefore, present a very real opportunity to court change — both for the nation and the Kashmiri people.