Senior PDP leader and Baramulla MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig’s recent interview wherein he said that the coalition partners had so far failed to deliver on the agenda of governance appears to be a clear indication that the PDP was looking for ways to make an exit from the government, thus parting company with the BJP. In political terms it means that once the PDP calls it quits, the Centre will have no option but to impose Governor’s Rule in the strife ridden border state. In other words, since the Central government is led by the BJP, it will be the saffron brigade that will have to solely deal with the situation created by the total mismanagement of Mehbooba Mufti and the state BJP leadership, leading to a stratospheric crisis.
Baig is no political novice and his comments may, on the face of it, seem to be directed against Mehbooba Mufti. However, the fact is that he knows too well that the PDP’s position was becoming untenable by the day and its cadres were deserting the party in the wake of the strong anti India sentiment prevalent in the valley. This erosion taking place at the grassroots was affecting the survival of the party, which has its origin in the separatist movement and is now faced with dissent from within. Its leaders had hoped that the Centre would help in bailing it out of trouble but as things stand today, the BJP leaders as well are clueless on what to do and therefore are groping in the dark. The consequence of amalgamation of all this turbulence is that the Kashmir valley in particular is experiencing unprecedented turmoil and it is crystal clear that the visit of the all party delegation last week has failed to assuage the anger of the masses.
Kashmir is the only place on the planet where politics takes precedence over everything else. It excels in the politics of deception and deceit and it is certainly not easy for well meaning observers to accurately decipher the intrigue and mischief behind the actions of various leaders who convey one thing to the people of the state and speak in a different tongue to the world outside. Most of them thrive on huge amounts they receive from the intelligence agencies on either side of the border and continue to play their cards with the intent of extracting more and more from the Indian state.
For any person who has been following Kashmir affairs, it is very natural to observe the Kashmiri leaders talking with so much passionate zeal regarding the need to provide a healing touch to the common people. What one fails to understand is what is it that needed to heal? Yes when the floods hit the valley a couple of years ago, there were expectations that the Centre would come to the rescue and provide the requisite relief to help life return to normalcy. The Centre and the Army, in particular, did a commendable job in assisting the trapped residents, but ungrateful leaders did not adequately acknowledge the help they received. The Hurriyat functionaries tried to belittle the operations and had their own tale to narrate.
Many sympathisers, time and again, keep talking about the Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhoriyat doctrine of Atal Behari Vajpayee. It is for everyone to see that the separatists and their masters have never allowed this framework to take the talks forward. It is because this is merely a slogan for many and its essence is never allowed to percolate to the masses. The separatists, are of late, tilting towards radical Islam and are encouraging the youth to be inspired by Wahhabi fundamentalists, the ISI and the ISIS. They view the Indian state to be extremely soft and are convinced that they can get away with anything. There is an absolute lack of realisation that if there is Jamhoriyat (democracy) in Kashmir, it is only because of the Indian state. No forces of radical Islam shall ever permit democracy to exist in any place where they are in a commanding position. It is evident that they lack Insaniyat or why else would they be so apathetic towards the plight of our jawans who have been martyred in the battle which should have been won long time ago? So far as Kashmiriyat goes, the less said the better. The manner in which many years ago the majority community ruthlessly eased out the Pandits from the valley is indicative of how much Kashmiriyat exists in them. There has been no attempt to somehow bring them home because they are unwanted there.
Kashmir is turning out to be a rogue state and thus needs to be dealt with in a very firm manner. Sajjad Lone, the former separatist leader who is now in the mainstream, told a TV channel that there is nothing that happens in Kashmir which is spontaneous. It means that whatever protests occur are engineered by outside forces and vested interests. In such a scenario, the Centre must take control of the situation even if it has to use all resources that are at its command. Talks can take place only with someone who is willing to have a dialogue.
If the separatists are unwilling to come to the negotiating table, they need to be isolated. The Kashmiris should also be stridently informed that there is no permanence so far as Article 370 goes. Between us.