Editorial: Jammu & Kashmir stares at unfulfilled promises

With the elected government already in place and the security situation firmly under control, there is no justification for delaying statehood further

The sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir into two union territories provides an occasion to take stock of the ground realities and address the concerns of the region that has long endured suffering and bloodshed. While the NDA government’s decision of August 5, 2019, to end the special status was largely seen as a bold and historic move to fully integrate Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of India, the promises made at the time of bifurcation have not been fully met. The promised economic transformation is still a distant dream. On the positive side, the return of democratic representation, following the successful conduct of elections last year, is a major milestone in the post-August 5 roadmap in J&K. However, the political dynamics remain fraught with tensions and compromises. There is a growing sense of restiveness over the delay in restoring the statehood as promised by the Centre. With the elected government already in place and the security situation firmly under control, there is no justification for further postponement. The return of Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister in October last year marked a new beginning, raising hopes of stable governance and a genuine sense of empowerment for the people of the trouble-torn region. It must be said to the credit of Omar that he has been non-confrontational and pragmatic in his approach so far. The people of J&K are yearning for a return to full-fledged statehood, which would give them a sense of genuine empowerment.

It was on this day six years ago that the contentious Article 370 was repealed and the State was divided into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh. The NDA government must now walk the talk and restore statehood, a promise made by it on several occasions in the past. The Omar Abdullah Cabinet’s first decision was a resolution for the restoration of statehood, after which the Chief Minister visited New Delhi several times and held meetings with the Centre. The National Conference’s cautiously worded resolution reaffirmed its commitment to “special status” and called for dialogue, while Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a more aggressive line. The NC’s dilemma lies in balancing its ideological commitment to Article 370 with the constraints of pragmatic politics in a situation where it has limited powers. The NDA government’s argument that the revocation of special status would lead to curbing terrorism stands largely vindicated, as reflected by the improved security situation on the ground. Local recruitment of militants has fallen drastically from 129 in 2019 to just 1 this year, official figures say. Barring the gruesome terror attack at Pahalgam, the valley was largely incident-free. The Jammu region, which saw cross-border incursions and frequent attacks on security forces over the past three years, now reports far fewer encounters.

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