A little bit of hope
The lifting of the ban on a newspaper, a birthday phone call, are small steps. They could be a beginning
For Kashmir, this has been a year of greater tumult — from the death of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and the political uncertainty that followed, to the violence, clampdowns and casualties after the killing of home-grown militant Burhan Wani in South Kashmir. As the year ends, however, there may be reason for cautious hope. The Jammu and Kashmir government has lifted the ban on Kashmir Reader, imposed three months ago on grounds of being a threat to “public tranquillity”. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has also promised to review the cases against young men who are currently incarcerated and did not commit “serious crimes”. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Nawaz Sharif to wish him on his birthday and Pakistan released 220 Indian fishermen.
The growing chasm between the government and the people of Kashmir became stark almost immediately after Wani’s death on July 8. As Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told this newspaper in an interview (IE, December 18), “I knew that it would have repercussions (Wani’s death)… But it will go to such an extent, I had never thought…”. The chief minister has expressed anger, helplessness and sadness — the politics of Kashmir and the aspirations of its people were being influenced and shaped by political actors from beyond the constitutional and democratic spectrum. The use of pellet guns by security forces left around 100 dead, 1,000 partially or fully blind and another 12,000 injured, many of them young men, even children. Security forces too faced casualties — some estimates put the injured at thousands. Over 500 people were arrested under the Public Security Act — including human rights activist Khurram Parvez, released later — and about 6,000 people in all.
The publication of a newspaper and a birthday phone call are small steps, but they could be a beginning if they are built on over the next year and beyond. They could indicate that the governments, both in the state and Centre, can look at Kashmir from beyond just the prism of strategic and security interests. Political and diplomatic measures will be key to bringing back dialogue as a way to solve differences. Hopefully, these steps are a precursor to that conversation.
Source: Indian Express, 27-12-2016
