Skip to main content

Whither Vajpayee’s formula ‘Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat, Jamhuriyat’ to ensure peace in J&K?

By Ram Puniyani* 
The killing of 26 tourists and the injuring of many more in Baisaran, Kashmir, was a tragedy beyond words. The terrorists, claiming to be part of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba’s front ‘The Resistance Front,’ took responsibility for this dastardly act. They identified people by religion and brutally fired upon them. Among those killed was Syed Adil Shah, who used to take tourists on pony rides.
The rescue was carried out mainly by local Muslims until helicopters arrived, and the injured were treated by a team of Muslim doctors. All of Kashmir observed a bandh, and slogans of ‘Hindu Muslim Bhai Bhai’ (Hindus and Muslims are brothers) filled the air. At the time, the Prime Minister was in Saudi Arabia; he returned but, instead of visiting the site of the attack, attended an election rally. PM Modi did not chair the all-party meeting, as he rushed to Bihar, where he was seen joking with BJP’s ally Nitish Kumar. All opposition parties, correctly, pledged their support to the ruling coalition in countering the aftermath of the terror attack.
This approach contrasted with his visit to Godhra in Gujarat, where he rushed to the site of the coach burning within half an hour of the disaster and directed that the burned bodies be taken to Ahmedabad, where a procession was held with the dead bodies.
Social media was abuzz with messages demonising the terrorists as Muslims. ‘They asked the religion first’ became the central point for spreading hate against Muslims. This trend is already prevalent, with Muslims being killed on the pretext of beef and love jihad, denied housing or jobs after being asked their names, and facing discrimination because of their religion. The government and sections of the media overemphasized the Muslim angle of the terror attack, completely ignoring the security failures and the lack of intelligence. This is similar to the Pulwama case, where mass hysteria was created about the terror attack, but there was little discussion about how RDX could have entered despite heavy security. This time, there were indications of an impending attack-what was the government doing to prevent it? One has to cross many military barricades to reach Baisaran; how did the terrorists manage this?
After the tragedy, local Muslims-including pony handlers, auto-rickshaw drivers, and hotel owners-helped the travellers and decided not to charge them any money. In contrast, airlines increased airfares, taking advantage of the situation. Many Kashmiri students faced harassment in their hostels (some were asked to leave), and Kashmiris in different parts of the country faced harassment.
The Indian government announced measures to suspend the Indo-Pak water treaty. Pakistan’s leadership stated that violating the water treaty is akin to an act of war. The clouds of confrontation are now uncomfortably present.
Terrorism is a bane of Kashmir, with a complex genesis. Dissatisfaction among Kashmiris began with the dilution of the Treaty of Accession, when Sheikh Abdullah, the "Lion of Kashmir," started feeling discomfort over the issue. He began to question whether it was a mistake to accede to India. This dissatisfaction initially had a purely Kashmiriyat character-a culture synthesising Vedanta traditions, Buddhist values, and Sufi teachings.
The situation became more complicated with Pakistan’s promotion of dissatisfaction and its violent turn. In the 1990s, as Al Qaeda terrorists became stronger, similar elements turned the purely Kashmiriyat resistance into a communal issue. Kashmiri Pandits were harassed and emigrated from the valley when the V.P. Singh government, supported by the BJP, was in power at the Centre. Pro-BJP Jagmohan continued to oversee operations in Kashmir during the Pandit exodus, providing facilities for them to emigrate. Local efforts to ensure security and protection for Pandits were thwarted.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s formula of ‘Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat, and Jamhuriyat’ (Humanism, Kashmiriyat, and Democracy) was the best approach to ensure peace in the region. However, the democratic process in Kashmir has been thwarted most of the time, with measures to suppress popular will being the main hallmark for decades. Even earlier, elections in Kashmir were not always fair.
When Modi came to power, demonetisation was initially presented as a panacea for controlling terrorism, but it was a complete failure. Then came the abolition of Article 370. This, along with demoting Kashmir from statehood to a Union Territory, was touted as the solution to the problem of terror. Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that peace had been restored and terrorism curtailed, which encouraged tourists from across the country to visit Kashmir.
However, sporadic acts of terror against Kashmiri Pandits and others continued, tormenting the spirit of Kashmir. Now a Union Territory, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is not part of the security apparatus. The last time Mr. Amit Shah called a high-level security meeting, Abdullah was excluded. The Central Government now completely controls law and order.
How can terrorism be eliminated? The high-handed approach of diverting locals from managing the state’s affairs is a major obstacle to countering terror. The repeated failures of security, as seen in Pulwama and now Pahalgam, are deeply concerning. Kashmir, as part of India, deserves full support from across the country to walk the path of peace, where Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Jamhuriyat must play a key role. Restoring statehood and strengthening the democratic process is the need of the hour. Our fellow citizens in Kashmir need an atmosphere where adequate security is provided and tourists can visit fearlessly. Tourism, the main lifeline for locals, deserves utmost consideration in Kashmir policy.
As the nation stands solidly with the ruling government, the government in turn needs to take the opposition’s suggestions seriously. As some have said, war is no solution-war itself is a problem.
---

Comments

TRENDING

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos  The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857  By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”