Kashmir: govt must walk Rajnath's talk

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has, during his four-day visit to Kashmir, tried to build on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day promise of a change of policy towards the state. The prime minister had said that the problem in Kashmir can be solved only by embracing the people, and not through bullets. Rajnath Singh has taken the idea forward and said that the government is ready to talk to all stakeholders in the state. He has seen “green shoots of peace” in the Valley, which has been wracked by strife and violence. He played down the issue of Article 35A which recently created apprehensions in the Valley, declaring that he had gone to Srinagar “with an open mind.”

It has to be seen in the coming days what Rajnath Singh’s words actually mean, how they will be translated into policies and actions and whether a change of course will have an impact in the state. But there is reason to think that the ground realities in the state are different from those presented by the minister. Not many have seen the green shoots that he has seen. Militant attacks and the operations of security forces continued during his visit. Short periods with no major incidents of violence have been there in the past, too. But the hopeful and positive statement will serve as a good basis for a policy change. The minister has to make clear the meanings and implications of some of his pronouncements, the words will be tested against the action. The government has till now held that no talks can take place till violence ends and there will be no engagement with the separatists. This policy has not helped, and needs to change. Is the government ready to do so?

The government has followed a muscular policy so far in the belief that the issue in the Valley is primarily a security problem. It has justified the use of pellet guns and an army officer’s action of holding a citizen hostage early this year. It has curbed democratic rights and stood by the draconian law that gives special powers to the armed forces. A change in approach would mean change in all these areas of policy and action. The government can make a beginning, watch how the new approach works and then go further. Rajnath also said that the government’s idea of a permanent solution is based on five Cs — Compassion, Communication, Co-existence, Confidence-building and Consistency. The government’s Kashmir policy has mostly lacked the qualities signified by these words. It should go beyond the play of words and allow their meanings to enliven its policy.