Abrogation of Article 370: Wounds need to heal

On August 5 last year, I was called by a national TV channel for a debate on the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The move came as a sudden blow. The Amarnath Yatra was in full swing. Under the subterfuge of tightening the security of the state, several companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) had been flown in.

In the studio, a Kashmiri youngster seated to my right, appeared quite upset and agitated. As the debate progressed, I could gauge his anger. While I maintained my composure, he was seething with anger and vociferously opposed the abrogation of Article 370. In him, I could perceive the whole J&K being in a state of turmoil.

The manner and haste in which the state was divested of its special status was mindboggling. According to intelligence reports received and aired by security agencies, the terrorists were planning a massive attack and hence the need to vacate the Valley post-haste.

Pilgrims and tourists were directed to leave the state by first available means. There was a mad rush at the airports, bus stands and railway stations. With rising demands, cost of tickets skyrocketed. The CAPFs, that is the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Sashastra Seema Bal and the Indo Tibetan Border Police, positioned themselves in every nook and corner of potential trouble spots of the state.

All political leaders including three former chief ministers were put under house arrest thereby leaving the state rudderless while two Lt Governors were appointed to take over the now-bifurcated and downgraded Union Territories of Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Those arrested were in for a shock as they had a day earlier been assured by the state Governor that all was well and that Article 370 would not be revoked. A sense of betrayal again.

The bifurcation and reduction of the status of erstwhile state of J&K to that of the Union Territories was necessitated by the need for the Centre to have direct control over the state. To add to their woes, all internet channels were severed. With curfew imposed, people were confined to their houses. None dare stir out.

With the revocation of Article 370, the people were assured that the state will be on road to development and progress which had been impeded by terrorism and corruption for several decades in the past. A clean and progressive administration was assured. The people were not so naïve to lap up all that was doled out by verbal rhetoric. Wait and watch was their cool response while they fumed inwards. With all political leaders incarcerated, their voices were stifled. Confined to their homes, all they could do was to peep out of their windows as paramilitary personnel patrolled the streets.

A year has gone by. Situation has worsened. While releasing J&K High Court Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom recently, the apex court commented that it hoped the government would ensure that normalcy is restored in Kashmir. “Kashmir has been a troubled area. Nature has been very kind to the place. It is the human race that has been unkind. It is time for all wounds to be healed and look to the future within the domain of our country,” the court remarked.

Behind bars

Wounds cannot be healed when a large number of leaders are behind bars. While the father-son duo of Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah have been set free, Mehbooba Mufti continues to languish in detention. When Saifuddin Soz was seen on a television channel apprising the cameraman that he was not being allowed to go anywhere by the police guards at his home, the state government had on the same day (July 29) filed an affidavit in the top court that he had not been detained and that there was no restriction on his movement.

A false narrative is being woven from time to time and the people can see through the design. With tourism badly hit, those in the profession have been reduced to penury. Though tourists are now permitted, the Covid-19 situation makes it near-impossible to carry on with their trade. Due to low tourist inflow, nearly 1.5 lakh people have lost jobs. From 3,26 lakh tourists who visited the Valley in 2018, the figure slid to 43,059 in 2019. Overall 4,96,000 jobs were lost.

Commercial loss was Rs 15,000 crore. Priority therefore has to be to normalise the situation to facilitate tourist inflow lest the youth take to terrorism and crime. Employment opportunities need to be explored. Thankfully, there has been a 40% decline in the number of youths taking to terrorism this year.

Intensive operations against the terrorists in recent months by the CRPF, Army and the J&K Police have yielded good results leading to a sharp decline in terrorist attacks. Over 130 terrorists were killed in the last seven months, 26 of whom were from Pakistan while 35 security personnel were martyred in these attacks.

Guns and grenades cannot provide a military solution for return of peace. Political solution has to be worked out on priority to meet the aspirations of the people. Of the 7,357 people who were taken into preventive custody soon after the abrogation, 451 are still incarcerated. They need to be released to calm the tempers. Since the report of the Delimitation Commission is likely to be delayed, restoration of its past status as a state immediately will have a soothing effect.

Kashmiri Pandits have demanded that and long to return to the Valley. Holding elections could to a great extent see the return of peace to this state which has borne the brunt of terrorism for too long though there can be no gainsaying that Pakistan would persist in its mischief of fanning terrorism. The security forces can be relied upon to handle that aspect.

(The writer is retired IGP, CRPF)