by Mohd Ishaq Shah
Since the inception of the democratic concept in Kashmir, it has been observed that people have been following the leaders blindly without checking their progress and outcomes. And it is only NC that ruled the state for almost seven decades. The party ruled very compassionately and the people started feeling as if they had never experienced the atrocious rules like the rule of Mir Khul, Afghan Rule, and Dogra Rule. With time, certain political transitions emerged like the imprisonment of Sheikh Mohamad Abdullah for almost two decades. Emergence of Bakshi Gulam Mohamad as the new ruler of Kashmir.His release in 1975 and the subsequent change in political manifesto viz-a-viz declaration of the right to self-determination as meaningless.
And all this transitional discourse created a political distaste among the masses of Jammu and Kashmir. It is said that variety is the spice of life. As is the human behavioral tendency to get fed with the homogeneity of any sort of discourse. What added more to this distaste was the inconsistent political character of the said party. The political scene changed to its worst version after the 1987 elections as it resulted in the opening of a dark era in the history of the state. The two major volcanic changes that could be seen were insurgency and armed struggle combined with the migration of Kashmiri Hindus (pundits) under a planned strategy sponsored by the then governor – Jagmohan. These two changes put both communities in a boiling pot situation as Kashmiri Muslims faced hell-like conditions due to the movement being given a religious color and the subsequent repercussions.
The episodes like Amarnath Shrine Board (2008) and the killing of 250 civilians in 2010 and more than 1000 in post-Burhan Wani episode. Thousands lost their life, millions lost their eyesight and many hundred thousand had been put behind bars. Numerous instances can be produced as evidence of their misrule. This was not the end, but the real tragedy emerged in terms of job scams during the rule of PDP especially the Jammu and Kashmir Bank recruitment scam in which hundreds of candidates were appointed without any legality and due merit. The scam stands yet to be resolved. The tragedy reached its climax when it got exposed in 2016 that all the PDP leaders had entertained their children in the Industries and commerce selection list. And most ironically the list was scrapped when they felt it was a black spot on their party.
It is 1999 when the political scenario of Jammu and Kashmir changed a little bit with the emergence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDD) as a ray of new hope for the people and with the perspective that they would perhaps play a positive role in settlement of Kashmir dispute with India and Pakistan through mutual dialogue process. The famous slogan raised by party patron Mufti Mohamad Syed ‘Na Bandooq se Na Ghooli se, Baat Banegi Tou Sirf Bouli Se’ became a household slogan in Kashmir along with a Kashmiri slogan ‘Yeli Yeyi Mufti Teli Chali Sakhti’ became a pain killer as the people of Kashmir had been experiencing a boiling pot situation for more than a decade. The analogy can most appropriately be drawn between the period of the End of the Dogra Rule and the beginning of a new era under Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah as an era of enlightenment, peace, and progress. And it was in 2014 when PDP exhibited her consistency when they made a collation govt. with BJP claiming that it would guarantee more concrete relationships with the union and subsequently may facilitate the state financial aspect in terms of more and more funds to the state financial setup.
Post Art.370-abrogation era can be called the 1st modern nondemocratic period as it snatched the democratic setup from the sate and reduced its status from state to Union Territory. People lost faith in democracy completely as all the discourse could happen dramatically, all of a sudden, and that too without obtaining the consent of the J&K legislative assembly which is a public representative body under a democratic setup.
The democratic process itself is diverse as our country has been following a five-year plan and this rotational nature of the democratic process in itself guarantees a change. Monopoly in every system leads to injustice, inequality, and immorality. The same has happened in India at the center as well as at state levels. Congress led the country for almost 70 years but at the end of this long period people changed the system and they will change it again. AAP in Delhi has set an example for the whole country. The way Arvind Kejriwal has ruled its state/UT has impressed the public all over India. Mumta Benerji in West Bengal has become a public icon for the said area and the people there are die-hard fans of her. She has enrolled the young, energetic, and dynamic type of leaders in her party. The most impressive is her nephew –Abeshiekh Benerji whom I value as the most logical and intellectual Indian leader I have ever seen or heard.
In political science, a revolution (Latin: revolution, a turnaround’) is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society’s class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain “a common set of elements at their core: (a) efforts to change the political regime that draws on a competing vision (or visions) of a just order, (b) a notable degree of informal or formal mass mobilization, and (c) efforts to force change through no institutionalized actions such as mass demonstrations, protests, strikes, or violence.”
Revolutions have occurred throughout human history and varied in their methods, durations, and outcomes. Some revolutions started with peasant uprisings or guerrilla warfare on the periphery of a country; others started with urban insurrection aimed at seizing the country’s capital city. Revolutions can be inspired by the rising popularity of certain political ideologies, moral principles, or models of governance such as nationalism, republicanism, egalitarianism, self-determination, human rights, democracy, liberalism, fascism, or socialism.
A regime may become vulnerable to revolution due to a recent military defeat, economic chaos, an affront to national pride and identity, or pervasive repression and corruption. Revolutions typically trigger counterrevolutions which seek to halt revolutionary momentum or reverse the course of an ongoing revolutionary transformation.
In the same way, the political scenario in Jammu and Kashmir reflects an immediate abrupt change and it is only in the hands of the public only to give it a new dimension. The recent parliamentary poll results in North Kashmir have proved that people have the power. The key to opening the prison door lies in their hands. What people have to do is vote for those candidates who belong(ed) to the intelligentsia and whose record is very clear. There are young minds who can participate in the democratic process. As we have experienced the orthodox politics in Kashmir has resulted only in the loss of life, property, and especially the Indian faith in the Kashmiri political setup. We are a part of India and we have to settle our disputes with her. We have to put our grievances on her table.
We have to stress, strive, and strike hard while being in the central democratic institutions like Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The past studies reveal that our leaders have failed to present our point before the union govt. they defended only their siege and not the interests of the people. We can’t survive based on slogans that have misled our youth. We have to be pragmatic and practical in our approach. We don’t need autonomy, we don’t need self-rule. We need a system that gives us a means of survival. A system that releases our political prisoners. A system that contributes to economic growth and enhances employment opportunities. That takes care of the downtrodden. That conducts fair recruitment exams. The govt. that punishes criminals and ensures justice for the victims of atrocities on the part of political hooligans and communal criminals. The govt. that ensures equal distribution of amenities. We need a system that makes our society free of gamblers, drug peddlers, and corrupt bureaucrats. At the end let me quote S.T. Coleridge: If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
The author can be mailed at ishaq7007@gmail.com
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