Politics | An ominous new chapter begins in Jammu & Kashmir

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Knowing that Kashmir was under a communication and security lockdown, it was an unsettling spectacle to behold as a large majority of Members of Parliament across parties showered praise on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for rectifying a “historical blunder” by abrogating the special status to Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370. The special status of J&K and Ladakh has come to an end, the state will no longer have a separate constitution, a separate flag, a special penal code (Ranbir Penal Code) or a Sadr-i-Riyasat or head of state. The Rajya Sabha also passed the Jammu & Kashmir State Reorganisation Bill 2019 bifurcating the state into two UTs: Ladakh (without a legislature) and J&K with a legislature.

With this, in the BJP’s own words, they have realised the dream of full “integration” of J&K. This move hailed by a number of parties both from the ruling coalition and Opposition was opposed by two MPs from the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, who tried to tear the Constitution of India in protest and have been suspended for that.

Even as debate over the government’s unilateral decision raged inside Parliament, TV channels started beaming visuals of ‘celebrations’ from across the country; people from J&K too welcomed the news, but in a cruel irony, not a single image emerged from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley as Internet services had been snapped there since August 4 night and Section 144 was imposed. A tragic way to inaugurate the first day of the Himalayan state’s “integration” with the Union of India.

A bit incongruously, MPs from the BJP, SAD, AIADMK, BJD, AAP and YSRCP appeared unperturbed by the undemocratic nature of this decision. Neither Kashmiri politicians nor the public was consulted before Union home minister Amit Shah announced the government’s plans. “Nothing to worry today, don’t know about tomorrow”, is what J&K governor Satyapal Malik told prominent Kashmiri politicians such as National Conference’s Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti on August 4. Both Abdullah and Mufti remain under arrest along with a number of other politicians as well as separatist leaders. In fact, with over 35,000 troops and paramilitary forces deployed, the entire state remains under a security lockdown.

There are two faultlines that have factored into the BJP’s unprecedented decision: the people’s sense of fatigue with the status quo and sub-regional aspirations of Jammu and Ladakh. There is no question that the small Kashmiri elite, including the separatists and mainstream political parties as well as the local bureaucracy and state government establishment, has willy-nilly benefited immensely in the preceding decades. Over the decades, corruption and misgovernance has become the norm in the state, and especially in the Valley. While the Jammu region has traditionally favoured greater integration with India, the remote plateau of Ladakh has felt discriminated against by Kashmiri politicians.

Ramifications of this move

Those supporting the removal of special status have called it a “historic” move that will “revive and rejuvenate” the state. Shah himself sought to assure critics by saying that Kashmir “was a paradise and will remain one”, but a host of parties including the Congress, DMK, SP, RJD, BJP ally JD(U) and the Communist parties have warned of catastrophic consequences emanating out of this ‘unilateral’ and ‘undemocratic’ decision.

The NC nor the PDP had the masses behind them, and their sheer helpless in preventing the abrogation of special status has rendered them politically even more impotent. For the common toiling Kashmiri, caught between the security forces and militants, it may be too early to take a decisive stand. Insulated so far from the economic growth that has been witnessed in India in the last two decades, the removal of special status might mean opening up of new avenues of growth when and if domestic investments start happening in the UT.

In the weeks and months to follow, the situation in the Valley is likely to remain tense. Pakistan, always a factor in the politics of J&K, has bitterly criticised the Indian move and according to reports will oppose it in international fora. It is likely to raise the fear that India seeks to turn Kashmir into another Palestine, and New Delhi needs to do everything to allay those concerns, not so much for international support but for peace and stability of Kashmir and the rest of India.

The BJP has a brute majority in Parliament and is in power in many states and therefore it must ensure that this decision doesn’t trigger a negative cascading effect on Indian democracy’s 70-year journey. The government must be seen to be upholding the rights of Kashmiri people and correct the impression that Indians love Kashmir but hate its people, a majority of them Muslims. This is the only way to avoid further bloodshed and strife.

Valay Singh is a freelance journalist. Views expressed personal.