Editorial: End ambiguity on statehood

The Centre’s argument that the question of full statehood to J&K will be decided based on the degree of normalcy is misplaced

Four years after the abrogation of Article 370, ending special status to Jammu & Kashmir, the promised developmental push still remains elusive while the central government is unable to give a specific time frame for the restoration of statehood. The NDA government’s response to the Supreme Court’s query regarding the revival of statehood has been vague and disappointing. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has assured the Constitution Bench of the apex court, which is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the repeal of J&K’s special status and its downgrading as a union Territory, that the elections can be held ‘anytime now’. However, it would have been prudent for the Centre to honour the overwhelming sentiment in favour of the restoration of statehood before announcing its readiness to hold the elections. The three-tier polls, to be held for the first time since scrapping Article 370 in August 2019, cover panchayats, municipalities and the Assembly. The Centre’s argument that the question of full statehood to J&K would be decided based on the degree of normalcy is misplaced. It is the restoration of statehood and the smooth conduct of Assembly polls that would ensure total normalcy and peace in the trouble-torn region. The government itself has been claiming that the instances of terrorist attacks, infiltration, stone-pelting and casualties among security personnel have reduced significantly since scrapping the special status. It is claimed that there have been no instances of secessionist-spurred stone pelting in Jammu & Kashmir this year so far, as against 1,767 such incidents in 2018.

There is a need to expedite the poll process. At the same time, the central Government and the UT administration need to pre-empt attempts to disrupt the electoral exercise. Forces inimical to peace and stability in J&K will inevitably resort to violence and propaganda in the coming months. Security and surveillance must be beefed up in order to instil confidence in the voters. Though the Centre has claimed that 32 out of a total of 53 infrastructural projects worth Rs 58,477 crore have been completed under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, the real sense of empowerment can come only by strengthening democracy and providing people with a sense of participation. The gains from the nullification of Article 370 cannot fully materialise unless Kashmiris are made stakeholders in their own development. Since the revision of the voters’ list is set to be completed in a month, it is expected that the Assembly polls could be held by this year-end, after a gap of nearly nine years. The Centre should not fritter away the golden opportunity that the Assembly polls provide to herald a chapter of lasting peace in the region. Though the NDA government has repeatedly stated that J&K’s union Territory status is a temporary measure, it has stopped short of specifying a time frame for undoing the downgrading.

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