The people in Kashmir are disillusioned with the policies of not only the mainstream leadership but also the separatists. It creates a unique situation where the lack of faith in any political ideology creates a huge vacuum which can be easily exploited to foment trouble . A key issue then, is to engage the state youth that accounts for over 60% of the state’s population, with the younger generation taking centre stage in this new political discourse that challenges status quo and proffers a more realistic alternative to fill this void.
The new discourse is centered on two main pillars . Firstly, it has to be totally and unconditionally non-violent and secondly, it has to take all the stakeholders into consideration. This would require all involved parties to come out of their respective cocoons, wherein they have become touchy about anything which contradicts the two sides of the poles ,with the ultimate objective of finding something which is inbetween, a workable solution, that will placate all. .The obvious question that arises here is what is the alternative if not freedom or living with the fact of being an integral part of India. The answer is that there is no one ideal solution or alternative. It is a bits and pieces solution to the complex and at times contradictory perceptions and concerns.
A solution where each stakeholder has to strike a reconcialtion note in dispute resolution, with a mutual give and take.The fact of the matter is that in two parts of jandk i.e. jammu and ladakh there were no protest with demands for azaadi. Surely we have to take their voices into account if we desire an permanent solution, Ignoring them is likely to cost us dear as is illustrated by the stark divide that has split the two parts of the state. Till we remain in denial about this as is unfortunately what seems to be happening right now, we risk reaching a point of no return. With every slogan of Azadi we are pushing the people of Jammu and Ladakh more and more away and fanning the fires of factionalism further.
How can we more forward if we have no common meeting ground to begin with..The answer may not lie exclusively within the political framework. Indeed alternative discourses that do not toe the official line are rarely ever advocated by the state or its institutions. The people need to realize that expecting any political party whether under the state constitution or outside of it to demand measures in direct conflict with that of the state vision is futile Everyone of them feed their motives in conflict and while each has its interest bound to the conflict, the same cannot be said about their commitment towards resolving the conflict. Ever since the 1990’s Kashmiris have endured almost 4 years(no of days) of shutdowns ,days when no business or any other productive activity took place in Kashmir.
What was the end result of all this sacrifice?
Has AFSPA been removed or even partially amended? Has any justice been delivered to no of innocent people killed throughtout these years? Instead, procedural arbitrariness, lack of transparency and accountability enforcing institutions has further made justice a mirage and We all know none of this happened. And what’s more, there is no realistic hope of inching closer towards Azaadi in the immediate future.
A closer introspection reveals the public has responded with great fervor to calls for protests, following every calendar religiously but to no avail. Clearly, this blind faith in one person and one ideology, placing the proverbial all eggs in one basket is not going to work anymore and is proving to be counterproductive. Relying on the democratic process by placing our trust in mainstream political parties has earned us rude shocks, the recent alliance being a case in point. The harsh winter has had much retrospection to offer to the people of the valley with the promise that the dawn of spring may signal a new beginning, once the frost has thawed.
Syed Mujtaba is a Human Rights activist. He can be reached at jaanaalam@gmail.com
Discussion about this post