Which Way Will Kashmir Swing? The Question Is In The Air – And It is Not Just About Voting
Which way will Kashmir swing?
This is the big question hanging over the Valley as Assembly elections draw close. And the question is not limited to which parties or candidates will get the higher share of votes as polling phases begin in a few days from now. There is fear whether – and how much – Kashmir will swing back into the dark phase of violence and extremism as strong anti-India sentiment gets pumped up in political rallies across the Valley.
The words “Masla-e-Kashmir” had been pushed to the fringe and were nearly forgotten by the larger Kashmir society. Member of Parliament from Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, has tried to bring them to centerstage. If these words manage to occupy dominant mind space in Kashmir again, it may come at a huge cost for the Kashmiris. This precisely is the fear among a large section of the people.
Before MP Engineer Rashid’s release from jail, the biggest issues on which votes were being sought were ‘restoration of statehood’ and ‘bringing back Article 370’. In the newfound normalcy and higher prosperity of present-day Kashmir, these issues along with bijli-sadak-paani and employment were enough to keep voters engaged.
MP Engineer Rashid entered the tournament and hit the ball for a gigantic swing. In his media bytes, Engineer Rashid called the resolution of the Kashmir issue as “the bigger fight”.
“I am not here to become MP or Chief Minister. We have a bigger fight. We want the Kashmir issue, which is pending since 1947 and has claimed 4-5 lakh lives, be resolved so that peace returns to the sub-continent, so that no mother loses her children and nobody is imprisoned…” Engineer Rashid said on September 12 while addressing media persons.
In the days leading up to his release, Engineer Rashid had been labelled as a BJP proxy. One thing is certain. In his fiery and furious statements to the media after his release, MP Rashid has tried hard to silence all those who may choose to call him a “BJP proxy.”
What Exactly Is ‘The Resolution Of The Kashmir Issue’
Kashmiris know that Engineer Rashid may be able to rally votes on the question of the resolution of the Kashmir issue. There is sufficient angst seeded among Kashmiris by local and transnational anti-India forces for decades over what is labelled as the “Kashmir issue.
But what exactly is the resolution of the Kashmir issue? No politician throws any light on this.
For the Assembly elections of 2024, Kashmiri politicians are promising to work for restoration of Article 370. But when Article 370 was in force, it did not serve the purpose of the resolution of the so-called Kashmir issue.
Additionally, how does Engineer Rashid define the roadmap to the resolution of the Kashmir issue? Kashmiri separatists used this jargon and Kashmir paid the price. The mainstream politicians used this same jargon and Kashmir burned. What new does Engineer Rashid bring to the table?
MP Rashid proposes that he and his party shall “bring the fight from Kashmir to Delhi”. In a media interview, MP Rashid said, “We will fight through peaceful political means. We will approach civil society, and we will fight using the ambit of the law…Our MLAs will come to Delhi and hold peaceful protests. We will become ambassadors of Kashmir and tell people what we go through every day….”
“If you don’t resolve the Kashmir issue, there will be a flood, the flood that will drown you all,” he threatened in a media interview. Threatening the Indian state with dire consequences is an old pattern of separatist and mainstream politics in Kashmir. MP Rashid is repeating the pattern.
The Cost Of Framing Kashmir As A Masla
For the average Kashmiri who wants himself and his family to live life in peace, the framing of Kashmir as a masla is a matter of deep anxiety. This is exactly what pushes some vulnerable Kashmiri teenagers or those in their 20s into a spiral of conflict with the state, which ends with fatal violence.
Framing Kashmir as a “masla” or an “issue” contrasts sharply with the Modi government’s global stand on Kashmir. The Modi government has consistently maintained that Kashmir is not an “issue”. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the Centre consistently focused on sustained development and economic growth to usher a positive, affirmative shift in Kashmir.
There is fear whether – and how much – Kashmir will swing back into the dark phase of violence and extremism as strong anti-India sentiment gets pumped up in political rallies across the Valley
At people’s level, the ‘azadi’ narrative has been replaced by pragmatism and acknowledgement of global geo-politics. The conflict-weary Kashmir society has exhibited collective willingness to leave the past behind.
The Centre’s efforts to bring about peace could not have been successful without the larger participation of Kashmir society. The last few years saw Kashmiris visibly denouncing gun culture. There was ready and enthusiastic participation of people in the democratic process.
Collective Social Endorsement For Democracy
In the last few years, Kashmir has witnessed a collective social consensus to allow democratic institutions to address civic and security concerns. People placed their trust in the Indian state to normalize a life free of terror where schools and colleges open as per schedule, Kashmir is peaceful, and life is good.
Sustained investment by GOI in public infrastructure and a stronger economy with higher incomes for all strata has cumulatively reinforced the faith of Kashmiris. This willingness to give space to democracy to flourish and prosper resulted in record-breaking voting during the recent Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir.
The heavy participation in the Lok Sabha elections and the eagerness of the Kashmiris to align with democracy has been framed by Kashmiri politicians as an expression of public anger against abrogation of Article 370. Engineer Rashid is following the same template.
The Rapid Transformation of Kashmir
MP Rashid has been in jail for five years. In the last three years specifically, Kashmiris have been enjoying the perquisites of a terror-free life. Record-breaking tourist inflows year after year have led to higher earnings for all sectors of the economy.
The terror decades when shops and other business establishments remained closed for months together have become history. The situation now is that these premises do not close even on those days when they are supposed to be closed in accordance with labour regulations.
For the average Kashmiri who wants himself and his family to live life in peace, the framing of Kashmir as a masla is a matter of deep anxiety
On September 2, 2024, the J&K UT Labour Commissioner had to issue an order that shops must remain closed on designated dates. Traders also had to be warned that they must keep their businesses closed at least for one day a week.
“Masla e Kashmir” Lingo Brings Pakistan Back In The Frince
the last few years, the larger Kashmir society has become increasingly aware of the devastation caused by giving space to terror. The common masses in Kashmir compare the development in Kashmir and the heavy investment by GOI in infrastructure and upgradation of services with the poverty and deprivation in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
The hardships suffered by the poor and middle classes in Pakistan and the political upheavals there have further alienated people from any affection for the neighbouring country.
In the efforts to put the spotlight on “masla-e-Kashmir”, Pakistan is obliquely brought back in the frame for any discussion on Kashmir. If Kashmir is labelled as a “masla”, the pro-Pakistan constituency starts regarding Pakistan as a stakeholder that must be accommodated and engaged. This defeats Government of India’s intense efforts in Kashmir over the past few years at multiple regional, national and global levels and the major security gains.
Again, Talk Of Self-Determination for Kashmir
The tsunami of votes that made Engineer Rashid a Member of Parliament from Baramulla was called by many as a mercy vote or sympathy vote to see him out of jail. Within hours of being out of jail, MP Rashid firmly established that he does not need anybody’s mercy or sympathy.
In an interview to The Indian Express, he said, “If the BJP has a better solution than self-determination for Kashmir, they should tell us. We will think about it.”
Promises like self-determination have misled Kashmiris and have steered Kashmir in the wrong direction more than once. Many in Kashmir fear that we may now witness competitive soft separatism among politicians, which shall cumulatively vitiate the atmosphere.
Politicians use fiery rhetoric to polarize and secure votes. But everybody knows that Kashmir has a sizable section of vulnerable youth who are led astray by such talk. Now again, every youth, every child is being made aware that Kashmir is a “masla” that needs resolution. Many Kashmiris are fearful that Seeds of separatism have been sown afresh.
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