With the bold decision of bringing
out a presidential order for repeal of article 370 Prime Minister Narendra Modi
ably assisted by Home Minister Amit Shah has raised the bar of governance. The
master stroke which is a game changer will predictably pave way for integration
of the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir. Paying a befitting tribute to the
founder of the Jan Sangh Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee who sacrificed his life for
the state, the duo has left no stone unturned to bring a semblance of normalcy
to the state. Kashmir, home to the Sarada Peeth, the veritable seat of learning
is integral to Indian identity. By demolishing the formidable constitutional obstacles,
the leadership have resurrected the civilizational identity of India.
Though the instruments of accession
have been the same for the princely states of India, a narrative was created
whereby Article 370 was considered as inevitable link between the state and
Union of India. By subsequently elevating the status of the article to a
stature of indispensability the political leaders of J &K successfully made
it a touchy issue. Any attempt to amend the article was interpreted as an assault
on identity on Kashmir. To be political right, parties have refrained from amending
Article 370 which is transitory and temporary.
Kashmir which shares boundaries
with two enemy countries is strategically crucial for the sovereignty of India and
any error in judgement or an oversight in assessing the security can have grievous
consequences for the country. Being a Muslim majority state, political parties
desisted from amending the article 370 which posed impediments in mainstreaming
the state with the rest of the country. Neither successive leaderships nor
political parties ever showed the guts to question the status quo which over past
seven decades pushed J &K into a state of decadence. Instead of empowering
the state, by restricting investments and stalling the percolation of
developmental measures article 370 strangulated the economy. Even after seven
decades of special status the state lagged in all developmental parameters and is
currently the largest recipient of government’s aid.
Over the decades, political elites of
the state stoking the fire of self-determination pocketed funds, deprived the
government of much needed finances and allowed the insurrection to thrive. The
agenda of abrogation of article 370 has been one of the core electoral promises
of BJP. Having cogent plans for mainstreaming of Kashmir and bringing it on par
with other states, BJP despite being labelled as opportunist joined hands with ideologically
incompatible PDP to enter the realms of power in the state. While it ended on a
bitter note as expected, the party hasn’t given up on its commitment of doing away
with Article 370 and Article 35 A.
Just 75 days into the second term,
Modi government which has absolute majority having successfully passed 28 bills
and rejoicing the tag of exceptional productivity in the parliament has silently
prepared ground for abrogation of article 370. It has made the right moves and
made best out of Pakistan’s hubris which is riding on the wave of the diplomatic
coup post Imran Khan’s visit to the US and Trump’s mendacious outbursts on
Kashmir mediation. After bluffing President Trump of taking stringent action against
terrorist outfits and the namesake arrest of terror master mind Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan
earned back the military assistance worth $125 million from Trump who is obsessed
with extrication of troops from Afghanistan. America which needs Pakistan’s help
in bringing Taliban to table for peace negotiations have turned a blind eye to its
terror activities.
Islamabad for the fear of FATF
sanctions has temporarily shutdown terror camps in PoK region. But America’s
military assistance has emboldened them. Back to their old tricks of trade,
Pakistan reactivated its terror modules in PoK after Khan’s successful visit to
the US on July 22nd. Since then relentless cross border firing and
numerous cease violations became a norm. Exalted Pakistan began targeting civilians.
In the past two weeks, Indian
security forces neutralised several terrorists including top JeM commander Munna
Lahori and his associate who mastered minded car blasts. Keen on extracting
revenge for his killing and with independence drawing closer, ISI has reportedly
readied groups of suicidal attacks to carry out fidayeen attacks in the valley.
Alerted by intelligence reports, India has revved up security. During their regular
checks found Pakistani landmines and an American sniper along the Amarnath yatra
trek. With immediate effect government cancelled yatra, stationed extra 28,000
troops in the valley and carried out two cross border raids 30km deep into PoK
annihilating Neelum-Jhelum terror camps.
Contesting the grounds for
deploying unusually higher number of troops, the Congress ecosystem and mainstream
Kashmir political parties lashed out at government’s so-called fascist move.
Undeterred by these anti-India rants, preparing ground for larger integration government
introduced a Jammu Kashmir reservation (amendment) bill in the parliament and
passed it in Lok Sabha on Friday. Panicked by quick paced events, Kashmiri
politicians met on Saturday and upped tirade against government of India. As a
final move, government in anticipation of domestic backlash kept prominent
politicians Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Sajad Lone under house arrest.
With Parliament in session, the Cabinet
Security met at 9:30am and made the final move towards integration of Jammu and
Kashmir. Subsequently, Home Minister Amit Shah announced about Presidential Order
for the abrogation of Article 370 in Rajya Sabha. Instinctively, government has
adopted the same route of Presidential Order to nullify the 1954 order issued
by then President Dr Rajendra Prasad. With this audacious decision, BJP struck
at the roots of the very legal provisions that ignited terrorism, jihadism, separatism
and augmented alienation in Kashmir valley. While celebrations erupted across
the country welcoming government’s decision Congress led opposition parties
condemned this move. Meanwhile while legal debates about the prospect of contesting
this move through Supreme Court are contemplated. Enthused by the support from political
parties (Shiva Sena, Akali Dal, AAP, TRS, YRCP, AIDMK, BJD and TDP) of diverse
hue, government has put the bill for voting. At the time of writing, Rajya
Sabha has passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill with a huge majority
of 125 versus 61votes. With BJP having required numbers passage of bill in Lok Sabha
is almost a done deal.
Under the provisions of the bill,
Jammu and Kashmir will be bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu &
Kashmir and Ladakh. Jammu &Kashmir union territory with a legislative assembly
will work along the lines of the article 239 followed in Puducherry and the Union
Territory of Ladakh will be without legislature. The onerous task of law and
order, land will be under the control of central government. Civilian
administration and governance will be under the ambit of the elected representatives
of J&K. With bifurcation now a done deal, delimitation of J&K is on
cards. Delimitation commission will now redraw the constituency maps for
assembly and parliamentary elections. This will ensure equitable representation
from both Jammu and Kashmir regions. So far, Jammu despite being highly
populated was poorly representation. This process will correct the historical
aberration of under representation of Jammu region and long pending Ladakh’s
request of delinking from J&K.
By abrogating article 370 Modi government
has hit bulls’ eye. Firstly, the timing of the decision has been perfect. By
toeing Pakistan’s line and effectively undermining the popular national sentiments,
Congress has blown up its fortunes as a party which values national interests.
The party which is now licking its electoral wounds and leadership crisis has eventually
plotted its own decimation with its inimical approach towards J&K in the
Parliament. Secondly, millions of Indians and especially Kashmiri Pandits have
been waiting for this momentous occasion with bated breaths. By legally invalidating
the two gruesome articles, BJP has earned the support of these people for a
lifetime. Thirdly, geopolitically India is on a slippery slope. Trump with his untenable
South Asia policy and incongruent approach of evacuating from Afghanistan has
indirectly made Pakistan an indispensable actor in the peace process. GHQ Rawalpindi
keen on grabbing this opportunity is planning to relocate the Afghan Taliban to
Kashmir for carrying out their anti-India agenda. Unlike in the past, the central
government which will have complete control over the internal and border
security of the region. Through seamless coordination of various forces, India can
effectively curb infiltration across the borders. Fourthly, till now Pakistan
has been justifying intervention in Kashmir claiming to be a stakeholder in the
disputed territory. By attributing the special status to Kashmir as incomplete
accession, it has defended its position at various forums. Any attempt to
further drag Kashmir at international forum will be deemed as interference in
the internal affairs of India.
Fifthly, no sooner government introduced
bill for J&K reorganisation, India briefed diplomatic envoys that proposals
of bill are internal to India aimed at providing social justice, economic development
and good governance. Any attempt by Pakistan to foment terror will be
considered as an attempt to balkanise India. Sixthly, with law and order and
security under the control of central Indian government, jihadi menace can be
swiftly curbed. Seventhly, with special status gone, the sham self-determination
propaganda of separatists will hardly receive any international support. For
long, separatists denigrated India, insulted Indian symbols and stoked anti-Indian
passions with free will. Hence forth any attempt to insinuate violence against
state will be tantamount to treason. Further, farce claims of tukde-tukde gang
of alleged state excesses will hold no water.
With indomitable will and unflinching
commitment Modi and Shah laid a path for mainstreaming J &K. The road ahead
is challenging and needless to say, might be replete of bloodshed. But a beginning
has been made. Now it is time to assuage concerns of Kashmiris to bring them into
the regular fold.
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