The first round of elections in Jammu and Kashmir on November 25 has given all those anxious for a return to normalcy good reason to hope. The massive response with an across the board average of 70 percent turnout in the state was a record. This was evidence of a change in the mood from the days of 1996. At least in some parts. The young, many of whom were born after 1989, and women, the biggest sufferers of the turmoil, voted in large numbers.
Some amount of caution is necessary here and that is - how will the rest of the electorate vote, especially in the Valley? Will the people opt to listen to the Hurriyat and opt out of the ballot option and remain isolated or will they join the rest of the state to express their hope through the ballot box? The incident in Arnia, where ten including three militants and four soldiers have died, is an indication. The incident was possibly timed to warn the people about participation in the elections and that too at a time when SAARC leaders were meeting in Nepal to get international coverage.
The mood in the Valley may be changing and there are chances that Kashmiris may be more willing to vote. A lot will depend on how New Delhi reads this will turn out and how Pakistan reacts to this and how the competing parties conduct their campaign for the remainder of the process.
If New Delhi makes the same mistake as it has always done, by assuming every positive turn as an excuse to do nothing further and concluding that the battle is over. Kashmiris may have voted in strength but they are also signalling that they are giving political masters one more, possibly a last chance, to sort out all the problems that have haunted the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
It is not simply more subsidies and dole that Kashmiris want. They want dignity - a dignity taken away by callous governments in the past and destroyed further by militants who did not have the dignity of the women and children of Jammu and Kashmir in their minds at all. People want the dignity of having a regular employment, they want safety for their families and they want to have the freedom to move and speak. They want to be able to criticise New Delhi without being labelled anti-national. They want to talk to New Delhi and not through the Hurriyat and not to Pakistan.
It is New Delhi which had the courage to allow the screening of Haider even though there were negative aspects but Pakistan banned this film. This was possibly because of two reasons. The screen depicted, "Srinagar, India" and scenes with mothers urging that they did not want their sons to go to Pakistan. Violence only begets violence and the young sons Kashmir got the silence of unmarked tombs. We remember the sorrow of Gawakadal, Kunan Poshpora, Lal Chowk, Bijbehara, Sopore, Chittisinghpora, Nadimarg, Doda and many many more. Leaders who exhorted the youth to revolt got protection from the very police forces they misled the youth to fight against and lived in the comfort of Hyderpora. It is time we realised that the state cannot be subdued by violence but can be bought to task through the ballot box.
Prime Minister Modi could just as easily start one of his "Make in India" projects in the Valley. Imagine products being sold everywhere with the label Srinagar, India. It would help the Kashmiri youth to interact with the rest of the country. It would help them understand that while there is something unique about Kashmiriyat there are similar unique parts in the rest of India. A Goan or a Mizo is as unique as a Kashmiri, each in their own way and yet they are Indians and they are under no threat of being swamped by the rest of the country. We are ready to talk about our misery but we do it assuming all is wonderful everywhere else. Maybe be wear not as well off as the rest of India despite the highest per capita subsidy that we are supposed to get but gets intercepted by intermediaries in our own state. We should compare ourselves with what is happening in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir which some of us still call Azad Kashmir. According to the Freedom House World Freedom Reports, in 2008 Pakistan-administered Kashmir was given the status 'Not Free' with the region's political rights given a low score of seven and civil liberties score of five. In comparison, the Indian Occupied Kashmir has better scores of five for political rights and four for civil liberties. A score of one is considered the best in a scale of 1-10. Despite all the deprivations that Kashmiris talk about let us also remember that we have industrial development, universities and medical colleges, a free press -which allows free flow of information unlike in Pak Occupied Kashmir, an independent judiciary. And most of all Kashmiris have the freedom to elect and throw out governments, something that is unheard of in what is called Azad Kashmir.
The application of AFSPA in the state needs to be modified and an announcement made to this effect. So long as there is terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the government will need to keep the Army stationed in the state. It is how and where it must or can be used or withdrawn that would go a long way in restoring normalcy. The recent court martial punishments in the Machhil atrocity case and the honest admission by the Corps Commander in the Budgam shooting are positive step forward and need to be sustained.
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What the people do not need any more are commissions consisting of some self-important individuals or fact finding missions that end up confusing matters. There is no need to have any more commissions, no need to ascertain any more facts. All this is known. All that Kashmiris of the state want is action for the fulfilment of their aspirations.
Round one has gone to democracy and let us hope so do the other rounds. It is after that the real hard work will begin.
The views expressed in the above article are that of Mr. Irfan Ahmed.