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Regional Dialogue PROLOGUE JAMMU, KASHMIR AND LADAKH
Building Peace Countering Radicalization
D SUBA CHANDRAN
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n the last two years, J&K has witnessed new highs as well as lows. Violence has come down greatly; numerous figures relating to infiltration, militancy and human casualty would prove the positive changes that are being witnessed at the ground level. New infrastructure is being created, in terms of roads and rail network. Kashmir Valley, for the first time in its history, witnessed a rail network and the airport being upgraded into an international one. More importantly, 2008 also witnessed one of the most successful elections for the J&K State legislative assembly since the most controversial elections in the late 1980s. At the cross-LoC level, the interactions are not only continuing, but also expanding at a constant pace. Besides the two bus services - Srinagar-Muzaffarabad, and PoonchRawlakot, for the first time in the last six decades, trucks have also started crossing the LoC, initiating trade between two Kashmirs. Undoubtedly, the above developments are positive ones. But, there have been some negative developments, that needs to be looked into, if one has to consolidate the gains. Despite the recent elections and continuing cross-LOC interactions, the state of J&K has been witnessing an increasing radicalization of three distinct kinds – religious, regional, and ethnic. While there has been much focus on military and human rights issues in the state, the growing divide between
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religious communities, regional antagonisms, and souring relations between various local tribal communities, are trends that have crept into the state almost unnoticed. The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi is undertaking a project to understand the nature of change that has been taking place at various levels, and work towards building peace. This project aims to bringing the younger generation in the different regions together to discuss these emerging issues and reach an understanding on how to prevent further radicalization and build peace among the various communities. First, there has been a slow but steady radicalization taking place between different communities in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, and within the communities themselves. Kashmir Valley has been well known for its practice of Sufi Islam, which plays an important role in what is defined as the Kashmiriyat identity of people in this region. Unfortunately today, both the Kashmiriyat and Sufi Islam are under stress, due to the radical onslaught, which has slowly, but steadily crept into the state, in recent years. A section amongst the younger generation, unlike their elders, does not believe as much in Sufi Islam. Led by some militant groups, there is a deliberate effort to change the nature of Islam in the Kashmir Valley. In Jammu region, certain fundamentalist forces have
Vol. 3, Issue 12
Epilogue, December 2009