CRAFTING PEACE IN KASHMIR
B G VERGHESE
has been Editor of three top Indian newspapers –Times of India, Hindustan Times and Indian Express. He served as Information Advisor to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is with Center for Policy Research since 1986
GAUTAM NAVLAKHA
NAEEM AKHTAR
is a leading human rights activist and Consulting Editor of Mumbai based Economic and Political Weekly
one of the seasoned civil servants J&K produced, he quit services in Jan 2009 to support Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s political initiatives
13 1AGENDA VIEWS
RADHA KUMAR is Director of Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia University, New Delhi
INDER MALHOTRA former Editor of the Times of India, his syndicated columns appear in 30 newspapers
PEACE IN KASHMIR
M M KAJOORIA a social activist and columnist, he retired as Director General of J&K Police
REKHA CHOUDHARY Professor of Political Science at University of Jammu
RAMESH MEHTA
DAYA SAGAR
GUL MOHAMMAD WANI
is an artist and former Secretary JKAACL, top art and culture body in J&K
is a social activist and leading columnist based in Jammu
Professor of Political Science at the University of Kashmir
ARJIMAND HUSSAIN TALIB
ERSHAD MEHMUD
NYLA ALI KHAN
leading columnist based in Srinagar, he is author of Omar Abdullah –the burden of inheritance
a native of Pakistan administered Kashmir, he is a leading policy analyst based in Islamabad
a Professor of English at a US University, she is author of Islam, Women and Violence in Kashmir. She happens to be grand daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah
EPILOGUE SEMINAR
There is a protest in Kashmir over in issue that is hardly new. Soon
SEMINAR
it assumes alarming proportions. Situation goes out of control. Security forces fire a couple of teargas shells and a young boy is killed. This triggers another round of protests. The confrontation between protesters and state's forces is terribly shriller than the previous one. As they take each other heads-on, two more are killed. There is another round of protests spreading far and wide. This cycle goes on and on. We saw this in 2008, in 2009 and there is no visible end to the present season of unrest in the Valley. Tourists are gone, tourism now seems a thing of past. Students have not been to schools for almost two months now. Businesses are shut. A government paralysed by stone pelters makes its occasional presence through some press statements or television interviews. It is not likely to go on life this for long. Situation is expected to be better in coming few days. But return of the turmoil after a brief interval is also equally certain. After all what is happening in the Valley? Why this cycle of unrest? What needs to be done at this stage? With these and more questions, Epilogue reached out to the people this state and the country looks upon with hope. As we go through their views, each one of them nearly disagrees with the other in perspectives but the bottomline is common –there is a problem which needs immediate measures for redress. There is a near unanimity in understanding that peace is too essential a commodity to be left alone to the youths who want to achieve this by pelting stones or to those who sit in cozy rooms of north block with their windows shut to the ground or even those who play the dirty palace games from pristine bungalows of Srinagar's Gupkar Road. At Epilogue we may agree or disagree with some of the views but we respect each opinion for clarity of the head and mind of the person. They have said, with abundant conviction, what they mean. Since there can't be a consensus in a single go, therefore this seminar offers a divergence of ideas on the problems and, may be, some solutions.
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SEMINAR
Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
Q
This is third year in row that Kashmir is erupting every summer. How do you look at this cycle of unrest.
GAUTAM NAVLAKHA
Underneath these catalytic triggers lies deep rage
Y
our question frames the question wrongly. In an area where protests are considered “agitational terrorism” by the army , “gunless terrorism” by the central para military forces, where the Prime Minister of India wants authorities to curb, contain and check protests, and every protest is held out as inspired, financed from across the border it follows that targeting youth would be its operational fallout. Also it downplays the fact that denial of justice to victims of state terrorism, let alone resolution of the 63 year old unresolved problem, leaves them with no choice other than to register their protests. It is when space for exercising civil liberties are thwarted that they take recourse to venting anger by pelting stones. Not unlike what the
Palestinians do. To speak then of “cyclic eruption” is not only to de-politicise the problem but to be innocent of the context. The protests manifests the truth that military suppression may break the back of armed resistance but it cannot win over people to reconcile to a forced union with India. It is, therefore, while according to the officialdom, every indice of militant activities, presence, infiltration etc has reached “subcritical level” the presence of forces monitoring the public and private lives of people remains by and large intact. If 2008 protests was triggered by land issue, 2009 by Shopian twin rape and murder, this year the Machil fake encounter of three youths and use of brute force against stone pelters resulting in deaths of youth caused
A history of unfulfilled pledges, broken promises, political deception, military oppression, illegal political detentions, a scathing human rights record, sterile political alliances, mass exodus, and New Delhi's malignant interference have created a gangrenous body politic that hasn't even started to heal. NYLA ALI KHAN anger. But underneath these catalytic trigger lies rage at the violence inflicted by the Indian State on a people, whose demand was for a democratic resolution of the problem.
BG VERGHESE
Some protests are partly engineered
T
his is most unfortunate. There may be reasons for dissatisfaction with the prevailing situation – conflict-related distress, unemployment, lack of progress towards a political settlement, HR violations, etc. But there are ways of discussing and mediating such issues without taking to the streets in provocative (mostly Friday) protests that are being partly engineered by interested parties to stir the pot and further their narrow agendas. The last Amarnath Yatra Shrine Board and Shopian agitations are illustrative of issues or non-issues being blown out of all proportion and distorted to serve nefarious ends. Never forget that Jammu and Kashmir (with Ladakh) is more than Kashmir or just those parts of the Valley that are disturbed.
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Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
REKHA CHOWDHARY
Frequent eruptions in Kashmir clearly reflect a deep-rooted anger
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It is not just a coincidence that these three summers have been particularly hot in continuity. The problem goes back to 60 years NAEEM AKHTAR
bviously there is something seriously wrong in Kashmir. The frequent eruptions in Kashmir clearly reflect a deep-rooted anger not only among the youth who are seen to be pelting stones on the streets but in the society as a whole. There is a feeling that even after two decades of conflict and loss of thousands of lives, Kashmir has not reached anywhere near the resolution of conflict. The pressure built by militancy has been exhausted and there is no compulsion for India, internally or externally, to move forward. Hence, for long time now, nothing is happening in the name of peace process – no efforts are being made to engage Kashmiris in dialogue, no CBMs are being offered – not even the ones approved by Working Committees constituted by the Prime Minister, and on the contrary, the participation of people in the processes of governance is mistaken as the 'normalcy'. Worse, the commitment of the Prime Minister that there be zero toler-
NAEEM AKHTAR
Don't look at three years, it is about six decades
I
f you just expend the time frame it will become easier to understand the malaise. It is not just three years, not even two decades but all the sixty three years of the independence that the cycle of turmoil is haunting Kashmir. It is just a coincidence that these three summers have been particularly hot in continuity. And administrative reasons have worked as a trigger on all three occasions.
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ance to the Human Rights violation is being disregarded to the extent that every now and then there is one or the other case of loss of lives of the innocent citizens either in cases of fake encounters or in the cases of mishandling of protests. It is accumulated anger which also reflects a sense of betrayal, disillusionment and hopelessness. Apart from the anger against the state, there is also anger within – in respect to the separatist politics and movement. With the divided leadership, there is a sense of loss of direction. The middle ground of separatist politics has since long been lost as the moderate have been discredited in the process of their engagement with New Delhi. The separatist politics is therefore dangerously tilted towards the hardcore elements who despite the 'consistency' are cocooned in their non-negotiable positions and hardened stances. On the whole, there is lot of confusion which gets reflected in the spontaneous political responses of the people. The latest phenomenon of stone pelting youth is further reflecting this confusion. With no other expression for channeling the anger of people, and no other political avenues being available – it is the street politics which has acquired importance. The street politics however is not to be seen only in relation to the teenagers pelting stones– but in relationship to the society as a whole. With the separatist organizations and leaders failing to offer any alternative politics of resistance, the stone pelting is the only politics of resistance at the moment with which people can identify.
Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
NYLA ALI KHAN
Politicians have failed the nation
T
he process of nationalist selfimagining is likely to remain in a nebulous state so long as the destiny of mainstream Kashmiri politicians is etched by the pen of the calligrapher in New Delhi and determined by maneuvers in the murky den of subcontinental politics. Can J & K politicians rise above their myopic aspiration to willy-nilly grab the throne and scepter? The obvious lack of selfreflexivity in regional parties shows a glaring inability to carefully consider the stakes. I wanted to end my book on a hopeful note but, sadly, the reins of J & K are yet again in the hands of New Delhi. The powers that be can pull those reins in any direction they deem fit. The two mainstream regional parties--the NC and the PDP--are pawns in a game of chess in which the odds are in favor of the Congress. J & K in the current political context is a house divided. It is paradoxical to watch political bigwigs, bureaucrats, and civilian and paramilitary officers preening and gearing up to celebrate India's Independence Day, 15 August, while many Kashmiris continue to remain in the abyss of socioeconomic deprivation and political marginalization. J & K is a palimpsest that has been inscribed upon two or three times, yet the previous texts have been imperfectly erased and, therefore, remain partially visible. A history of unfulfilled pledges, broken promises, political deception, military oppression, illegal political detentions, a scathing human rights record, sterile political alliances, mass exodus, and New Delhi's malignant interference have created a gangrenous body politic that hasn't even started to heal. After the first edition of Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan, published in June 2009, was reviewed by several
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Kashmiri academics, it was pointed out to me that autonomy was an inadequate solution. The intractability of the Kashmir conflict has made advocates of conflict resolution rather wary of applying a seemingly workable but facile solution to the complex political conflict. Mainstream media, intellectuals housed in academic institutions, formulators of public policy, and members of think tanks are quick to point out that regardless of the bloody and seemingly infinite nature of a political, ethnic, or racial conflict, a viable solution can always be found to dilute the fierceness of a conflictual situation. But one is cautioned against glibly advocating a kitsch solution to the Kashmir conundrum by the complexity of the Kashmir conflict, which embodies the brutalities of nation building devoid of myth or self-infatuation. The unruliness of the Kashmir conflict has led many to confuse the idea of nation with the power and brute force of the nation-states of India and Pakistan. Although the idea of self-determination collides with military oppression on the contentious site of nationalism, political accommodation can lead a war-weary people out of the colonnade of duplicitous rhetoric, political domination, and forceful imposition. The debate among political thinkers, scholars, and policy makers about finding viable ways to placate marginalized ethnic minorities in J & K has been infinite. Since the advent of independence, New Delhi's self-deluding and self-serving “democratic” approach has been to allow the disaffected people of J & K to voice their “seditious” opinions within the existing political framework legitimized by governmental rhetoric. The reasonableness of the autonomy solution advocated by mainstream political parties in J & K may seem axiomatic, but what is the
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Sheikh Abdullah had launched movement against Maharaja because he foresaw a better place in secular India. Today, there are people holding torch against India because they search for a future somewhere else DAYA SAGAR
likelihood of its being adopted in an undiluted form to metamorphose Kashmir's political, cultural, or territorial circumstances? Both India and Pakistan have a long history of deploying rhetorical strategies to skirt the issue of plebiscite or complete secession of the former princely state of J & K. When feeling particularly belligerent, Pakistan cries itself hoarse declaring the legitimacy of plebiscite held under UN auspices in J & K; India responds just as aggressively by demanding the complete withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the territory of pre-partition J & K; or, in a moment of neighborly solicitude, for conversion of the LOC to a permanent international border. Which of these solutions is the most viable?
Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
RAMESH MEHTA
There is obvious disconnect between leaders and peoples
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People in Jammu and Kashmir are fed up with present state of affairs. A recent survey by Chatham House has just proved that. A vast majority wants substantive change in present status ERSHAD MEHMUD
irst of all we must understand that Kashmiris are basically extremely sentimental. It appears that the popular Governments between 2008 and 2010 have failed to gauge the mood and read the mind of the people of Kashmir leave alone relating to them. There had been a disconnect between the leaders of the ruling coalition and the public. Well, it is very likely to be the outcome of a design but who allowed the design to succeed? People's whole hearted participation in elections was construed as a license to ignore the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. Omar's inaccessibility to even his cabinet colleagues speaks volumes in this behalf. Even Dr. Farooq Abdullah is on record to have said only recently about Omar that, “ He must come to grips with the administration and show the door to officials who don't perform.” This statement is self explanatory and endorses the views held by the common man in the streets. I would like to recall the SASB agitation in Jammu. It was the manner in which the body of Kuldip Verma was disposed off that fuelled the anger far and wide and helped the agitation enormously otherwise till that day it was just another agitation. Perhaps the same history is being repeated in Kashmir over the last few years. There has also been a clash of perceptions between the people and the Govt. and Govt. had failed to clear the mist encircling its credentials. Failure of intelligence gathering mechanism as well as lack of responsive administration has been adding fuel to fire.
M M KHAJOORIA
This is a grand coupe
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o keep Kashmir restless and simmering to be brought to boil at the time of their choosing was the tactical response of Pakistan establishment to the changed politico-strategic ground realities as assessed probably in 2007. The people were fed up with senseless killing .Terrorism had begun to yield diminishing returns provoking public apathy and defiance This was evidenced by the level of participation in the elections. There were no takers in the world community for “ the struggle for freedom “ cover for ongoing terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir. And terrorism had become a dirty word The strategic shift involved combination of over ground violent mass street action and spaced terrorist strikes on specific targets. In the latest bout yet-to-mature , gullible and excitable teenagers were placed in the vanguard .The violent street action with stones as the weapon of offence invited the use of force by the security forces ( the justification whereof was subject to formal scrutiny) resulting in civilian causalities exposing the Indian state to Human rights violation et all . The accompanying man oeuvres in successful management of Public Perception during the last phase of violence succeeded in confounding the civil society, confusing the political class , put Indian security forces and J&K Police in the dock and gained immense public sympathy for the “movement .This was sort of a grand coupe which could encourage similar adventurism in future.
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Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
DAYA SAGAR
For separatists, summer is best time to communicate
T
here is a role reversal in Kashmir. After 1990 Kashmir Valley has remained exposed to only a particular class of views. With this the dialogues and opinions that question the intentions of New Delhi are more often expressed. This way the separatist have been getting easy space. The separatists too have found it easy to carry their campaigns and propaganda. Rather the separatists too see come competition from parties like PDP. New Delhi has been playing very soft on separatists as well as those who advocate separatist like preferences for Kashmir valley. National Conference that had in earlier days simply preached special treatments for Kashmiris, has now started feeling suffocated in the separatist environment and for its survival is not able to play harsh on the separatist elements. The quit Kashmir torch that was held by Sheikh Abdullah, against Maharaja Hari Singh in 1946 to ensure that in independent India the democratic power in State of J&K comes in the hands of NC like it would be for Congress in India, has now been very cleverly held by Sayeed Ali Shah Geelani. But now it is against India. Moreover except central grants no any other tool has been used by the Government all these years in Kashmir valley to remedy the misconceptions, separatist propaganda, anti India campaigns, doubts on the genuineness of 1947 Accession, the two nation theory and the status of princely states . Before 1996 almost all political cadres had moved out of the valley. And when they returned in 1996 they moved amongst the people under tight securities. This way they could not win the confidence of the people in an environment where anti India ideologies have been only inputs that the common Kashmiri par-
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ticularly the youth and new generation was exposed to. The social matrix of Kashmir valley was damaged, the Kashmiri Hindu left the valley and their return was not given the first priority over other material projects. Unfortunately this further helped the anti India elements. The efforts of the official machinery have not been enough for confidence building since the propaganda by the separatists was not against the local civil government but it was and has been against the nationality. Even Indian National Congress has worked as local party , it cannot compete with National Conference politically and so the best thought way to keep NC uneasy by allowing the anti NC elements alive in valley. Under these circumstances summer is the best time for the separatists to reach out to the outer world since the borders are also live, the tourist season is on, the State government heads are in valley . So we have been seeing the valley more disturbed in summers in recent times.
It is accumulated anger which also reflects a sense of betrayal, disillusionment and hopelessness. Apart from the anger against the state, there is also anger within – in respect to the separatist politics and movement. With the divided leadership, there is a sense of loss of direction REKHA CHOWDHARY
ARJIMAND HUSSAIN TALIB
I
t would be foolhardy to see a conspiracy angle or a planned pattern to this phenomenon. This eruption is simply a spontaneous public reaction to political and economic suffocation, coupled by excesses by and impunity to armed forces in the state. The problem is that there is a big disconnect between the rulers and the common people, especially the youth, and the former are not fully able to understand the nature of the latent aggression and discontent among the people. And the root cause is New Delhi's aversion to address the core issue – Srinagar's completely eroded political and economic rights. And an onslaught on its larger identity.
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
ERSHAD MEHMUD
Dividends of 2008 elections were not consolidated
T
There is a strategic shift in Pakistani establishment's approach to Kashmir. Keeping Kashmir simmering at the time of their choosing is their tactical response to the waning scheme of terrorism. In the latest bout gullible and excitable teenagers were kept in the vanguard. This is a sort of grand coupe MM KHAJOORIA
he massive destruction and human losses in the wake of militant struggle in the Valley in 1990s had forced many Kashmiris to shun their armed struggle and revert to a non-violent movement. The peace process initiated between India and Pakistan imbibed a new hope in this segment of the society which fully supported it. However, things stand totally changed today as the process has failed to yield significant results; mainly because of lukewarm Indian response coupled with the political turmoil in Pakistan. The people of Valley once again preferred ballot over bullet in 2008 when state assembly elections were held in Kashmir. Pakistan too tacitly supported this exercise and things went smoothly. In fact, Islamabad put its weight behind Omar Abdullah who promised to promote broader reconciliation between Delhi and Islamabad and also within Jammu and Kashmir to create local consensus. However, he failed to create a space for the separatists in the local politics due to Delhi's terrorism centric approach towards Pakistan in the wake of Mumbai attacks. People of Kashmir are fedup with the current state of affairs. Recently, Colonel Qadhafi's son Saif-Al-Islam commissioned the first opinion poll on both sides of LoC on the future of Kashmir. The poll was conducted by a well reputed organization IpsosMORI in October - November 2009 and published by the Chatham House London. The survey suggests that the protracted conflict made huge negative impact on the people?s lives. The poll maintains that an overwhelming 80% of Kashmiris ? 75% in AJK and 82% in J&K. felt that the dispute was very important for them personally. It shows that a vast majority of the people wants substantive change in the present status. It also shows the people's frustration with the current state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir. In my view, as long as Delhi and Islamabad do not jointly take tangible steps to stabilize Kashmir Valley lasting peace cannot return to Kashmir. In this regard, they have to pick up the threads where they were left before Mumbai attacks.
GUL MOHAMMAD WANI
There is hardly anything surprising about protests; anger is deep
T
he upsurge and uprising of youth power need not surprise us. The youth were always at the forefront of rights- based movements in Kashmir .After all gun too was taken by the youth against the State. In recent times stone pelting youth and the consequent disruption of civic, economic and political life has made many Kashmir watchers to offer their own explanations as to what has happened and how to retrieve the further collapse. There is no doubt that the peace process both in its internal and external domain had brought a sense of confidence and optimism in the life of an average Kashmiri youth.The youth were feeling that the world has starting opening to them. The disruption in that process did make a dent in the psychology of Kashmiri youth. Despite the fact that many organizations in Kashmir either in unionist or separatist's camp are headed by young men and women but that has not translated into either their fascination or empowerment of youth. The youth have a feeling that their leaders have lost their autonomy to confront the might of the Indian State. Some critical issues dominant in Kashmir discourse like Land, demography, drug abuse, violations of human rights have their own impact on youth psyche. Further rising economic and globalizing India does not mean much to an educated youth who remain under scanner of security agencies once he moves out side the state for education or jobs.
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
Q
What should State and Center do at this stage.
REKHA CHOUDHARY
The should come up with political response
F
or achieving the minimum peace in the Valley, first thing that is required is the improvement of record of Human Rights violations and both the Central and State government should see to it that the innocent civilians are not harmed in any way. The present cycle of violence needs to be broken and a message needs to be given to those responsible for maintaining law and order that every life is valuable and order cannot be restored at the cost of human lives. However, there is no possibility of peace without the political initiatives. The political response has to go beyond the knee jerk and adhoc response to crisis situations. Not doing anything will not lead us anywhere. There is a need of political vision and political will to resolve conflict situation. Given the emotive response to Kashmir at the national level, it may not be possible to immediately provide a model of conflict resolution, but at least some beginning needs to be made. New Delhi needs to address the trust deficit that it has in Kashmir. To remove this trust deficit, the Government of India will have take step, which might be very small, but which should reflect the genuineness and sincerity of the Government of India. It is important the people should get a feeling that a peace deal with Pakistan would not be brokered without the participation of Kashmiris and whatever happens people would be given a chance to deliberate upon issues.
An internal political dialogue must commence on all issues – the task force reports (centre-state relations and regional autonomy), governance, meaningful decentralization through empowered panchayati raj structures, the future of the Pandits, development and employment, disappearances, HR violations, etc. Nothing and nobody need be excluded BG VERGHESE
RAMESH MEHTA
Make only those promises which can be fulfilled
B
oth governments should make only those promises which they are capable of fulfilling. Saying that sky is the limit and not allowing even the rooftop is not going to work. Forming the Working Groups and consigning their recommendations to records sends wrong signals. It is foolhardy to believe that unemployment is driving the youth to stone pelting. It is a recognized fact that Kashmir is not included in the list of 8 most poor States of India. Unemployment today is a worldwide phenomenon. Hence, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Why is it that whenever there is a crisis of this sorts the politicians belonging to the ruling coalition goes into hibernation instead of going to and facing the people? Yes, by facing the people they are destined to face their wrath but that is the price they should be prepared to pay for earning the title of being genuine representatives of the people. Other wise the vacuum created by them in troubled times is bound to be, and is being, filled by the separatist elements.
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Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
NAEEM AKHTAR
First, acknowledge the basic problem
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The rouge element in the counterinsurgency grid of the State needs to be eliminated. All corrupt elements in government and administration need to be weeded out.Saint Augustine [Christian philosopher] used to say that all unjust rulers need to be killed}.That is one way to stop the revolutions. GUL MOHAMMAD WANI
ook at the realities and acknowledge them. Unfortunately everybody has been in a denial mode on Kashmir. The problem exists at more than one level. And unfortunately the current turmoil has introduced yet another level to it. The youth who are spearheading it sense an existential threat to them as a result of the killing of scores of them. This has happened in the backdrop of comparable situations receiving completely different treatment. Media has made instant comparison possible. And the youth or the general public in Kashmir does not view it as difference of approach but discrimination as in the case of dealing with Naxal violence. While Naxals armed with guns and literally butchering security forces are called and treated as “our own men� who can't be fought with weapons, bullet is prescribed as the only solution to Kashmir's angry protestors. And to legitimize this approach conspiracy theories are cooked up with the help of a media that in case of Kashmir has always sided with the establishment and worked as part of security apparatus. Unfortunately the establishment in Delhi has never treated Kashmir as a part of the country or its exciting democratic enterprise while accusing everybody else of trying to snatch it away. As part of that mindset which sees Kashmir as a held territory rather than part of a nation full of different strains even a genuine democratic opposition is treated with suspicion and dubbed antinational if the ruler is a darling of Delhi. Could it happen that Mamta Banerji is called upon to help communists in diffusing Nandigram and if she didn't attend a meeting with the chief minister be called antinational? While the political problem of Kashmir will remain as long as it is not actually solved without waiting for it to disappear, governance has also been an important factor. It is the administrative quality that has always determined the dormant or active nature of people's anger. History is a witness to it. Quoting the more recent chapter of it may be relevant but not necessary. Compare 2002-2005 to the years that followed it or preceded it. Same human beings could produce different results. Same people of Kashmir were inspired to write a new agenda of peace for South Asia that are now being maligned as stone pelters risking lives for 100 bucks (foreign funds) a day. Same people crowded the polling stations to create new records for the country who are now being defamed as Let terrorists. That is enough to indicate what needed to be done. But it may already be too late for Omar Abdullah to begin afresh. For credibility once lost is impossible to recover.
GAUTAM NAVLAKHA
Repeal black laws, stop brute force
R
ollback the regime of repression which is in place since 1989, indeed many of the extraordinary laws need to be repealed or revoked which have been there since 1947, release political prisoners, and stop use of brute force to suppress people who protest. These are what I consider as basic minimum required to ensure that a political process can be initiated for reaching a democratic and peaceful solution. It is outrageous that people writing on Facebook or activists organizing protests should be charged for inciting violence when it is the Indian and state police forces which are responsible for causing the unrest in the first place by their commission of atrocities and then by cracking down on the media to ensure that people do not get to know the truth. Take the most recent instance. Machill killing highlighted the fact that there is a co-relation between the disappeared and the unidentified graves. Kalaroos graveyard, where the three youths were killed and buried was one of the many graveyards investigated by the International Peoples Tribunal on Kashmir and the findings show that there were 2373 unidentified graves containing unnamed 2943 bodies in 55 villages of just three districts! How can it inspire confidence when no steps are taken to investigate this to reveal the truth lying buried in the mass graves in J&K? Why should this be considered something not doable. If this is not doable why expect people to remain placid when faced with these harsh realities that punctuate their live
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
MM KHAJOORIAl
Center and State have a lot to introspect
T
he central government should terminate the policy of pampering and “pleasing” the political elite and focus on the aspiration of the common man instead. It must ensure that the benefit of the huge financial inputs to the state reaches the common man in full . More importantly speedy and effective steps be taken to convince the people that the financial support was neither meant to be “Khairat” nor bribe money. I am convinced that the most potent source of alienation in Kashmir is the strong feeling that the government in Delhi as well as other states equate the entire community with the militant anti-national fringe. Every Kashmiri Muslim was suspect. The strong , transparent and painful emotions generated by this humiliating treatment should be effectively addressed on topmost priority to the satisfaction of the Kashmiri civil society. , The state government had lot to introspect about. The foremost question to be addressed was what made the Kashmiri Muslim youth so vulnerable to and such easy prey for manipulation by subversive elements despite unprecedented financial allocations by the centre, special economic packages, huge inputs in infrastructural development ,sanction of central universities and other institutions of higher education and government claims of massive employment generation. ? The Tourism was booming and Pilgrim tourism never had it so good. Was it frustration , desperation ,hopelessness or total loss of faith in the system and conduct of governance? Chief Minister Umar Abdullah must initiate immediate steps to ascertain what precisely went wrong with the system and take urgent corrective measures..On the law and order front. the state apparatus needed to be reoriented and geared to face the challenges of normalcy . I wish someone had taken seriously and acted on suggestions contained in my article titled “The challenges of Normalcy” published in November, 2009.. It was still very much relevant.
INDER MALHOTRA
GUL MOHAMMAD WANI
ARJIMAND HUSSAIN TALIB
Keep the core political question in mind
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irst acknowledge that 60 years of carrot and stick quick fixes have not worked to quell popular discontent in Kashmir. Anything skirting the core political question is unlikely to help in achieving durable peace. The state government must act as a facilitator between New Delhi and those who see the solution to the Kashmir issue beyond the political status quo. It must also try to explore a common ground with all political stakeholders in the state to set a political agenda for New Delhi-Srinagar talks which addresses people's political aspirations, and at the same time takes into account the economic and political realities of our region and the world at large.
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Political leaders of the state ought to be in constant touch with the people. But none is doing that. The Centre is surprisingly even more inactive
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Remove gaps between promise and performance
O
n all issues like zero tolerance for human rights violations, dialogue, reconciliation the gap between promise and performance needs to be removed. The independent enquiry recommended by all party committee to probe recent killings of youth needs to be speeded up and findings made public. The rouge element in the counter-insurgency grid of the State needs to be eliminated.All corrupt elements in government and administration need to be weeded out.Saint Augustine [Christian philosopher] used to say that all unjust rulers need to be killed}.That is one way to stop the revolutions.
Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
NYLA ALI KHAN
Adopt an inclusive approach
C
Launch new initiatives - pursue Omar's attempts to get punishments for HR violations and crimes, bridge polarization between Jammu and valley; CRPF to act only as backup to JK police RADHA KUMAR
urrently, mainstream political parties in Indian-administered J & K have jumped on the autonomy bandwagon. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, the differences between them are not insignificant. New Delhi asserts, time and again, that a revitalized Indian federalism will accommodate Kashmiri demands for an autonomous existence. But, historically, federalism hasn't always adequately redressed the grievances of disaffected ethnic minorities. Here, I concur with Robert G. Wirsing's observation that, “while autonomy seems to imply less self-rule than does the term confederalism, for instance, it is generally understood to imply greater self-rule than federalism, which as in the American case, need not cater to ethnic group minorities at all” (2003: 199). Given Kashmir's treacherous political climate and the rampant political factionalism in that region, the appeal of an ambiguous “autonomy” remains intact for some groups but for others, as has been forcefully pointed out to me by a couple of political scientists, it is a wrong narrative to establish in the case of Kashmir. Sadly, the Kashmir conflict is no longer just about establishing the pristine legitimacy of the right of self-determination of the people of J & K, the former princely state. Rather, prolonging the conflictual situation works in the interests of some of the actors, state as well as nonstate, on both sides of the LOC. Some civil and military officials--Indian, Pakistani, and Kashmiri--have been beneficiaries of the militarization of Kashmir and the business of the “war on terror.” Also, some militants, armed and unarmed, have cashed in on the political instability in the state to establish lucrative careers. For such individuals and groups selfdetermination and autonomy work well as hollow slogans stripped of any substantive content. The dismal truth is that the wish to establish the legitimacy of self-determination or autonomy vis-à-vis J & K is not universal. The current political discourse in the state has strayed far from home.
ERSHAD MEHMUD
Demonstrate political maturity
I
t should be acknowledged at the level of policy-makers and political elite that Kashmir issue has internal as well as external dimensions to deal with. There is no denying the fact that during the last two decades Islamabad's influence in the Kashmir Valley has increased tremendously. As long as Islamabad and New Delhi continue to follow hostile approaches towards each other and do not stop the zero sum game, peace in Kashmir will remain a pipedream. However, Jammu and Kashmir government led by Omar Abdullah can also play a vital role if it demonstrates political maturity. No matter what political cost it has to pay, the state government should not allow the security forces to use high handed policies to curb protests. If Mufti Saeed can take risk to initiate a war of ideas and politics with separatists, why Omer Abdullah is shy of engaging them at this point of time. Imposition of PSA and NSA is no solution to the current upsurge. It, in fact, has aggravated the situation further. Releasing of all political opponents can also help to improve the law and order situation.
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Vol. 4, Issue 8
Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
Q
Everyone is talking about dialogue. Your thoughts about it.
BG VERGHESE
Lot needs to be done, one can begin by probing wrongs and empowering peoples
T
he all-Party talks on July 11 suggested an independent inquiry into the entire gamut of recent incidents including deaths, firing, curfews, stone pelting, intercepts, etc, and appealed to the Prime Minister to initiate a sustained political process. This offers a good starting point. The inquiry must go to its logical conclusion and not be allowed to be derailed as in the past because the truth is uncomfortable to some. An internal political dialogue must commence on all issues – the task force reports (centre-state relations and regional autonomy), governance, meaningful decentralization through empowered panchayati raj structures, the future of the Pandits, development and employment, disappearances, HR violations, etc. Nothing and nobody need be excluded. The agenda can be framed in the first round. The door should be kept open for all to participate but those who boycott cannot be given any right of veto. If they are left out of the process it will be for them to explain why. The Hurriyat has sat on the fence for far too long. The internal dialogue must be sustained and unbroken with a trusted and credible Central interlocutor (and a state level counterpart if necessary) being inducted at the next stage to carry forward discussions on the nitty-gritty.
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Mindless “protests” that degenerate into hooliganism must be dealt with firmly and political leaders must participate in providing “leadership for peace and reconciliation”. The present protests are by a third post-1947 generation of youth that is concerned more with the future than the past. Can we structure a volunteer “Peace Corps for Reconciliation, Harmony and Reconstruction” comprising J&K and other Indian youth to work together on agreed and doable projects and programmes of education, health delivery, rural reconstruction, sport, culture, skill formation and capacity building in different parts of the state ?
Vol. 4, Issue 8
Too much time has been wasted in sterile talks between the Centre and Kashmir leaders because no Kashmiri party or group is prepared to offer any suggestion on what should be the content of greater autonomy for J&K
INDER MALHOTRA
The Indo-Pakistan dialogue is on a different track and will proceed independently. Efforts to confuse the two should be resisted. Pakistan cannot be part of an internal settlement within India. The internal and international dialogues are independent though interdependent. The internal dialogue is by far the more important and there will be efforts to sabotage it by separatist elements precisely for that reason.
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
NYLA ALI KHAN
Restoration of trust is pre-requisite
T
Within Jammu & Kashmir state, it is time for some hard decisions. A majority of people in Leh district and UdhampurJammu-Kathua districts are not inclined to be part of any process where New Delhi's political authority in the state is put for negotiations. I personally believe Srinagar needs to respect their aspirations and let them chart their own political destiny. It is better to say goodbye to each other as good friends than be at loggerheads perpetually
ARJIMAND HUSSAIN TALIB
he armed conflict has changed political combinations and permutations without either disrupting political, social, and gender hierarchies or benefiting marginalized groups. The social, economic, political, and psychological brunt of the armed conflict has been borne by the populace of Kashmir. The uncertainty created by twenty years of armed insurgency and counterinsurgency has pervaded the social fabric in insidious ways, creating a whole generation of disaffected and disillusioned youth. Lack of faith in the Indian polity has caused Kashmiris to cultivate an apathy to the electoral process because it is a given that persons best suited to carry out New Delhi's agenda will be installed in positions of political import, regardless of public opinion. The earlier enthusiasm that accompanied democratization seems totally futile in the current leadership vacuum in the state. Lack of accountability among the J & K polity and bureaucracy has caused a large number of people to toe the line by living with the fundamental structural inequities and violence, instead of risking the ire of groups and individuals in positions of authority.
Political organizations in the Valley have eroded mass bases and are in a moribund state. There seems to be an unbridgeable gulf between figures of authority and the electorate, who have been deployed as pawns in the devious political game being played by Indian and Pakistani state-sponsored agencies. The glaring lack of a wellequipped infrastructure in the Valley makes unemployment rife and underscores the redundancy of the educated segment of the population. The counterinsurgency operations undertaken in J & K by the Indian military and paramilitary forces were ferocious and cruel, and have alienated the disillusioned populace. Restoration of trust is a prerequisite to any kind of dialogue; attempts to reduce troop deployment in Jammu and Kashmir; reining in paramilitary troops and holding them accountable for their actions; restoration of institutions of civil society; bringing the intelligentsia of J & K into the fold and giving credence to their opinions; restoration of grassroots level institutions without which any kind of internal dialogue would be futile.
REKHA CHOUDHARY
Initiate inclusive talks, don't make them hostage to external dialogue
I
t is important to engage the Kashmiris and for that a dialogue process needs to be started. Even when it is true that there can be no lasting peace till Pakistan is involved in it, it may not be fair to make the internal dialogue hostage to the improvement of India-Pak relations and resumption of composite dialogue. While dialogue channel with the separatists, who are ready to be engaged, needs to be opened by the Government of India, there should be multiple dialogues. Dialogues which should continue in one form or the other – dialogue with the separatists, with the civil society, with the intellectuals, with the political class across the ideological lives, However, dialogue should not take place for the sake of dialogues, but also for the sake of building consensus and moving forward towards peace.
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Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
MM KHAJOORIA
We are a plural state, initial a plural dialogue
T
he current internal dialog is totally ill conceived. They are barking the wrong tree .Competing and conflicting political and developmental aspirations of segments of people destined to live together cannot be resolved by retired or serving Judges saddled with committees comprising of political party reps bound to the party agenda . It is not a question of right or wrong. Even a majority view point cannot be imposed on unwilling or defiant Ladakh and Jammu. The requirement is to evolve a consensus. The central government should therefore act as the facilitator ,bring together the elected representatives, leaders of different sections of society like commerce, legal fraternity,
academics and most importantly civil society. Such combination can be expected to inject the required balance and pave the way for consensus. . The exercise must be informed by some basic premises like, preservation of the integrity of our composite state and the three regions as well a commitment to secularism and plural ethos .Promotion of communal interests under any garb should be barred. Once a consensus is arrived at , the expert committees and constitutional experts can be involved. Essentially, the search is for a constitutional re-arrangement, democratic in essence and decentralized in form which broadly satisfied urges and aspirations of people in al the three regions of J&K.
Either you give alternative to people or accept that people have no one to look up to except the separatists. It may be a different thing that instead of providing leadership separatists have been riding on the popular anger
RAMESH MEHTA
GUL MOHAMMAD WANI
Make quiet dialogue visible, credible
T
ERSHAD MAHMUD
he internal political dialogue needs to be initiated as quickly as possible. The dialogue process needs to be properly instituted and structured. There is no doubt that quiet dialogue process had certain advantages but it needs to be made visible and credible. Though the need is for an inclusive dialogue we can consider having a separate round table for groups outside the mainstream arena. All this is recommended so that we learn to walk before running. It is better that we get away from employing retired bureaucrats as interlocutors. Jammu and Kashmir needs to be taken away from Home ministry and placed directly under the Prime Ministers charge. The Ministry of Kashmir affairs needs to be revived so that there is focused attention on issues related to Jammu and Kashmir.
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Go for tripartite dialogue but don't ignore locals groups
I
t can be helpful if New Delhi makes it a tripartite -Srinagar-Delhi, Srinagar-Islamabad and finally Delhi and Islamabad based exercise. However, dialogue between various regions and intra-Kashmir dialogue can always be helpful to narrow down the extreme positions and to create a broader understanding of each other's point of view. In this connection, I would always suggest dialogue should be backed by the practical steps to improve the ground realities such as demilitarization form the urban centers, etc.
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
ARJIMAND HUSSAIN TALIB
Initiate a rectangular dialogue
I
nternal dialogue alone would not do. A result-oriented dialogue has to be rectangular. New Delhi-Srinagar dialogue at one level and New DelhiIslamabad at another level. For the sake of sustainable peace, SrinagarIslamabad and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad dialogues are also important to create meaningful consensus on political and water issues. As far as Srinagar-New Delhi dialogue is concerned, it would require some confidence building measures: setting of a deadline for simultaneous withdrawal of troops to pre-1989 positions and strength, release of all political prisoners, freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of peaceful political mobilization and renunciation of arms by all militant groups. Both the Hurriyats and the United Jihad Council
(UJC), on their part, need to set a date for the welcome of Kashmiri Pandit migrants back to Kashmir with all due dignity and safety. Within Jammu & Kashmir state, it is time for some hard decisions. A majority of people in Leh district and Udhampur-Jammu-Kathua districts are not inclined to be part of any process where New Delhi's political authority in the state is put for negotiations. I personally believe Srinagar needs to respect their aspirations and let them chart their own political destiny. It is better to say good-bye to each other as good friends than be at loggerheads perpetually. That way, people will continue to maintain good personal relations and trade with each other in a cordial and mutually beneficial manner.
RAMESH MEHTA
Engage the leaders of dissent through back channels
S
ee, you have no other way to move forward except through dialogue. On the very signs of semblance of normalcy you start saying that Hurriyat has become irrelevant and when you are faced with the trouble on the streets you start harping for dialogue with them. How could it be? Back channel initiatives are most suited for finding a way out of this impasse. But here again fear of attacks like the one on Fazalul Haq Qureshi will not let Hurriyat move forward. I believe that there is no need to go public on any kind of parleys before arriving at some workable resolution. Undue publicity robs backchannel initiatives of its working environment. In the alternative, either you give alternative to people or accept that people have no one to look up to except to separatists. It may be a different thing that instead of providing leadership separatists have been riding on the popular anger.
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Reining in paramilitary troops and holding them accountable for their actions; restoration of institutions of civil society; bringing the intelligentsia of J & K into the fold and giving credence to their opinions; restoration of grassroots level institutions without which any kind of internal dialogue would be futile. NYLA ALI KHAN
NAEEM AKHTAR
Sorry to say, there is no hope
R
esuming dialogue with whom? The leaders are in Jail who now have teenagers from the street for company. Teenagers who were protesting the killing of their classmates, friends and acquaintances are filling up jails and lock ups. Someone in the system need to have the credibility to be listened to and I honestly believe there is no one on the horizon right now. The Prime Minister even though he did not respond to the killings in Kashmir could still make the difference. But it has to be at his level.
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Epilogue, August 2010
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
Q
Your message to restless valley youths.
GUL MOHAMMAD WANI
Counseling Kashmiri youth is most difficult at the moment Youths should not fall prey to jihadist and others who want to sever J&K from its rich, secular Kashmiriyat, and sufi-rishi heritage BG VERGHESE
I
t is really difficult to say anything to youth at this time what we can only promise but cannot perform. We need to ensure that honor and dignity of the people is respected. The youth must have a feeling that opportunities are open to them in the entire world. Kashmiri youth must have a sense of security in and outside the Kashmir. We need to create social and democratic spaces where our youth can express themselves. The youth need to be patient and also understand
how youth in other conflict situations cope up with their day to day problems. If the state has six lakh unemployed youth then we ought to have a coherent youth policy drawn in consultation with those experts who have sufficient knowledge about Kashmir.It is high time that State knowledge commission is established so that we are able to understand as to how to reorient the system of college and university education in the state as a long term measure.
REKHA CHOUDHARY NAEEM AKHTAR
Dekho Mujhe Jo Deeda E Ibrat Nigaah Ho
I
am left with no moral power to render an advice to Kashmiri youths because I feel I belong to a failed generation that leaves behind a messier place than the one we inherited. The boys are trying to find their own path and I would only tell them “dekho mujhe jo deeda e ibrat nigaah ho�.
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Youth needs to be engaged in more productive activities
Y
outh at this time is in a very difficult situation for the burden of separatist politics has been placed on their shoulders. This is certainly not fair, since the youth cannot lead the movement because it itself needs to be led. The vacuum that exists in the resistance politics of Kashmir, cannot be filled in by the stone pelting youth. The reason that they are getting killed is not only the agents of the state are responding ruthlessly to their protest activities, but also because they are not being restrained by the members of the civil and political society. Youth needs to be engaged in more productive activities and they need to be told that the future of the state as well as the movement demands their role hence they need to be saved for that role. What is more important for them at the present time is their education so that they can take their own responsibility as well as that of the society.
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
GAUTAM NAVLAKHA
They have to consider using means other than stones
T
he movement is alive and kicking with the third generation now taking over the baton. The protests have not been futile going by the fact that the intelligentsia and authorities have again woken up to speak of doing something to defuse the situation. It is also a reminder, to use the words of a stone-pelter that “we want to tell the world that there is no normalcy here. We live in a disturbed area�. Equally, it is a reminder to all that only protests compel authorities, and an insensitive Indian intelligentsia, to become aware of people's mood. It may well be that the efforts of the youth
will be squandered through cunning and stealth of the authorities as Shopian incident so well illustrates. Therefore, sustainability of protests is what the youth should keep in mind. Especially, while their courage at being able to face death or fatal injury at the hands of a heavily armed security force cannot be minimized, they have to consider using means other than stones to remind the world about what injustices have been dealt them and what they want. In the long run truth is the strongest weapon against oppressors and articulating demands during protests/agitations will lend their protests credibility.
As an Indian citizen I owe them (Kashmiri youths) an apology, that all my attempts to end their isolation and mistreatment have failed RADHA KUMAR
RAMESH MEHTA
Youth of Kashmir may do better in nation building
T
o me it appears that there is a deep rooted feeling among the Kashmiri youth that they have been let down by one and all. Youth of the valley, howsoever disenchanted they may be with the system, need to understand that violence will brood no solution. They must observe and take lessons from Pakistan as to how Talibanisation is wrecking Pakistan's economy and the civil society. They have to realize that they are being used as a pawn in the international game. There is no single recognized party, from among mainstream parties or otherwise, to whom disenchanted youth of Kashmir can look to. There may be unity of purpose among the separatists but there is no unity of minds. Further, had the issue been limited to India and the Kashmiris alone, then there could have been some hope for finding an amicable as well as workable solution but here the element of Pakistan besides, may be, international agencies is also involved. Given the fragile nature of Pakistan government/s no concrete outcome for peace in Kashmir is expected at the moment. Hence instead of going astray the youth of Kashmir may do better to join nation building, even if their notion of nation may be limited to Kashmir only.
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Vol. 4, Issue 8
ARJIMAND HUSSAIN TALIB
Youth must not allow their political struggle be communalized
T
o counsel anything to them looks fruitless at a time when they are going by their political and basic human instincts, and not even listening to political leaders who champion their cause. But, yes, the youth must not allow their political struggle be communalized.
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SEMINAR Kashmir Unrest :The Civil Society Response
MM KHAJOORIA
Just pause and think
The restless youth of Kashmir some of whom have turned into stone-pelters, paid and unpaid - do need to be assuaged. The best way would be to ensure them jobs within Kashmir or in rest of India INDER MALHOTRA
acceptable to all the three regions of J&K will have a chance . So use the time to convince others of your point of view through logic and rationale . Four. In the meanwhile life has to go on. So concentrate on your studies . / professional duties so that you are equipped to improve your quality of life and that of your family. Participate in the great Indian march towards the goal of an economic super power . The God almighty has in His beneficence endowed you with higher IQ and intuitive capability . Prove worthy of it.
BG VERGHESE
Don't become prisoners of the past
B
uild the future. Do not become prisoners of the past, of old hatreds, of mistrust and ideological propaganda. Do not fall a prey to the jihadists and others who want to sever J&K from its rich, secular Kashmiriyat andsufi-rishi heritage. That is the path of selfdestruction. Make a careful study of the constitutions of Pakistan Administered Kashmir and the Gilgit-Baltistan region and their operation on the ground and ask yourself if that is the model of “selfdetermination” you wish to adopt. J&K's problems are by no means unique. They are variously shared by people in other parts of India. If we join hands, then together we can and shall overcome.
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Vol. 4, Issue 8
GRAPHIX
M
y sincere advice to the valley youth will be to pause and think. Then some realities will dawn upon them which need not necessarily look pleasant on the first sight. One: The “Kashmir Issue” is not going to be resolved in a hurry or in isolation from Indo-Pak reconciliation. Two: Disturbances in Kashmir can only contribute to the deepening of the conflict and subversion of the peace process there by further delaying the resolution Three. In the final analysis , only that decision which suits , I repeat suits India and Pakistan and was
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