Editorial: Valley’s bleeding wounds

The blood-soaked Kashmir Valley is witnessing a fresh bout of killings, targeting migrant workers. A Kashmiri Pandit farmer was gunned down by terrorists while two labourers from Uttar Pradesh were killed when a grenade was thrown inside their rented accommodation. The spurt in violence comes amid demand by political parties to hold early Assembly elections, […]

The blood-soaked Kashmir Valley is witnessing a fresh bout of killings, targeting migrant workers. A Kashmiri Pandit farmer was gunned down by terrorists while two labourers from Uttar Pradesh were killed when a grenade was thrown inside their rented accommodation. The spurt in violence comes amid demand by political parties to hold early Assembly elections, even as the tourist season is in full bloom. The killings are apparently an attempt to disturb the peace and scuttle the much-awaited electoral process, under which the delimitation exercise was completed earlier this year. The violence exposes the myth about normalcy returning to the Valley following the NDA government’s decision to scrap the special status. It is also a grim reminder of the audacity with which the Pakistan-sponsored militant outfits have been carrying out their macabre agenda in Jammu & Kashmir. The first targeted killings, following the abrogation of Article 370, rocked the Valley in late 2019 when five migrant workers were gunned down in Kulgam district. Though security forces regularly track down those responsible for these attacks, the frequency of these strikes points to a deeper malaise. The polarising rhetoric, in the run-up to the elections, centred around the possibility of non-permanent residents of the union Territory becoming voters, is fuelling unfounded fears. Conducting free and fair elections in the region is very crucial to give the people a voice in matters of their own governance and also to keep the militancy at bay.

It appears that the nefarious elements, created and nurtured by Pakistan, are bent on creating trouble and vitiating the political atmosphere ahead of the elections. The Centre should make it clear that the resumption of dialogue with Pakistan is not feasible at any level unless the latter gives up its old agenda of bleeding India with a thousand cuts. At the same time, the government cannot afford to snub regional leaders who have considerable sway among the Kashmiris. Cracking down on terrorism and bridging the trust deficit are prerequisites for the restoration of normalcy in J&K. The resumption of the long-delayed democratic process could serve as an effective antidote to the rise of militancy in the Valley. The challenges before the NDA government are manifold. First, there is a need to curb infiltrators and deprive them of local support by initiating confidence-building measures and strengthening grassroots-level democracy. At the same time, the government should never let an opportunity go on international platforms to expose Islamabad’s devious agenda. The gains from the nullification of Article 370 cannot fully materialise unless Kashmiris are made stakeholders in their own development. And that can only happen if J&K is able to elect its own politicians to manage its affairs. The Assembly polls are likely to pave the way for the restoration of statehood.

---