Editorial: Walk the J&K talk

The Centre must step up political outreach to strengthen grassroots democracy in J&K

On the face of it, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s promise of restoring the statehood to Jammu & Kashmir makes for good political optics but the ground realities in the tormented region expose the hollowness of the announcement made on the floor of Parliament. After taking the bold decision of abrogating Article 370 in August 2019, the NDA government has not taken any major follow-up initiatives to find a lasting political solution. What followed the move to end the special status to the sensitive border State was a series of stifling restrictions on the movement of people while the leaders of mainstream parties were arrested and their political activity curbed. The blockade included the suspension of mobile internet and broadband services for over 18 months, deployment of thousands of troops and detention of dozens of mainstream political leaders, including former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, all of whom were later charged under the Public Safety Act and only released late last year. It must be pointed out that the people of J&K, like their counterparts in other States, yearn for normality, the one that allows them to go ahead with their jobs and businesses and seek better living standards for their families. They would like businesses, especially the travel industry, hit by both the developments of the past year and the Covid-19 pandemic, to revive. And, they would like to exercise all the democratic rights enjoyed by citizens elsewhere, and elect their own representatives.

At a time when China is flexing its muscles and Pakistan is aggressively fomenting terrorist activities across the border, it is time to focus sharply on finding a political mechanism in Jammu & Kashmir that will eventually lead to restoration of permanent peace. The recent polls to the District Development Councils (DDCs), the first-ever held in the Union Territory after the abrogation of the special status, demonstrated the people’s faith in restoration of the democratic process. The peaceful election process was a much-needed exercise in a region bogged down by prolonged political uncertainty and violence. Political posturing apart, the overwhelming participation of the people reflected their faith in ballots rather than bullets. The Centre must step up political outreach to consolidate the gains and ensure grassroots democracy is strengthened. This would help in weaning the youth away from the clutches of militancy. The process of dialogue with all the stakeholders must be resumed to move forward on the original objective of achieving complete integration of the region with the rest of the country. The government must seize the opportunity provided by improvement in the security situation and initiate the political process to heal the wounds.

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