Editorial: Exercise in futility

The renewed debate over Articles 370 and 35A is a distraction from the pressing issues that Jammu & Kashmir faces

The resolution by the newly elected Jammu & Kashmir Assembly, calling for the restoration of special status, is an exercise in futility. The ruling National Conference (NC) and its ally Congress would be doing a great disservice to the country if they keep raking up an issue that cannot be reopened. Over five years ago, the NDA government took a historic decision to abrogate Article 370, ending the special status of Jammu & Kashmir, and bifurcate the border State into two union Territories. The move has since been upheld by the Supreme Court. There is a ring of finality about it. The total integration of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country is an undeniable reality now. The NC government, which took over the reins recently following a smooth conduct of Assembly elections, would be well advised to focus its attention on the development and creation of employment opportunities for the youth instead of whipping up parochial sentiments over an issue that is now part of history. The immediate task before the central government is to restore statehood as promised in the past and provide the people of J&K a genuine sense of political empowerment and participation in the development process. The NC’s insistence on bringing back Article 370 would amount to questioning the constitutionality of its revocation and also send wrong signals to the international community. The ruckus over the issue, as witnessed in the J&K Assembly, does not augur well for national unity.

It is time to invest in the future, a future that holds immense opportunities for the youth. It is time to bury the ghosts of the past. The gains from the nullification of Article 370 cannot fully materialise unless Kashmiris are made stakeholders in the development narrative. Political polemics apart, the harsh reality is that the border State has remained untouched by industrial development and suffered due to growing unemployment and rampant corruption. The sense of alienation among the youth, due to the lack of opportunities for upward mobility, became the fuel for the Hurriyat parties to keep the Azadi pot burning. The common people of the State deserved a better deal and fair share in the prosperity and development like their counterparts in other States. That is where Omar Abdullah needs to invest his energy. His new tenure is likely to be defined by a delicate balance of addressing the aspirations of his political base while working within the changed constitutional framework imposed by the central government. The renewed debate over Articles 370 and 35A is a distraction from the pressing issues that J&K faces, including economic development, unemployment, and cross-border terrorism. The NC-Congress alliance should shift its focus from symbolic gestures to practical policies that can improve the lives of the people in the region. India’s integrity and security cannot be compromised for short-term political gains.

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