For the first time in three decades, I spent an entire month in Kashmir this July. Staying at the city centre of Lalchowk in Srinagar, I travelled all across the Valley without any security cover. For a conflict journalist who happens to be from the minority community in the Valley with strong views against Islamist terrorism, it was quite unthinkable even few years ago.
Since August 5, 2019, statistically, there has been a major drop in incidents of terror violence in the Valley. The year 2020 saw 244 terror incidents compared to 614 in 2018. In comparison, 2565 terror attacks took place in 2004 with over 707 civilians killed. This year, 24 civilians have been killed in terror attacks so far. Last year, the number was 30.
The October killings of civilians from minority Hindu and Sikh communities along with non-Kashmiri labourers however triggered fresh fears of a new wave of terror attacks. The 2021 autumn in Kashmir brought in a 1990 winter chill when targeted killings led to exodus of over 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits. The security forces however swiftly eliminated over 20 terrorists in three weeks restoring the confidence of the people.
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A Successful Outreach Exercise
Home Minister Amit Shah’s very first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the historic abrogation of Article 370 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been a significant and successful messaging exercise amidst much global propaganda. A direct outreach to youth in the Valley outlined a fresh emphasis of government’s renewed effort to incentivise youth who believe in the opportunities coming their way in a democratic India. Shah in a direct statement from Srinagar said he would speak to the youth of Kashmir instead of Pakistan, indirectly slamming Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah who batted for talks with Islamabad in a soft-separatism tone.
Shah’s message to the youth should not be however seen as an outreach to any element with a separatist tendency. Indianness and India’s sovereignty are paramount for any kind of such dialogue.
Modi government’s no-tolerance approach to separatism since 2017 NIA raids and banning of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and Jamaat-e-Islami in 2019, which led to arrests of all major separatists including Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah and others and hundreds of Over Ground Workers (OGWs), has infused a fresh hope for peace and development. Hurriyat has been turned into a defunct outfit which has further collapsed after the passing away of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Ashraf Sehrai.
Amit Shah landed in Srinagar with season’s first snowfall and from the airport directly went to meet the family of J&K CID Inspector Parvez Ahmed who was killed by terrorists earlier in June. With folded hands, Shah bowed before Ahmed’s wife, expressing gratitude of an entire nation. This new narrative of showing respect to the martyrs of J&K Police and security forces in the Valley will go a long way.
Martyrs of J&K Police for years have died in oblivion in the line of duty without any recognition or sympathy from the state governments. A long awaited change has also led to the government announcing memorials for over 100 martyrs from the security forces in J&K.
A Strong Message to Security Forces
Shah, known for his not-so-usual ways of building rapport with the masses, insisted on road travel across the Valley during his four-day stay instead of helicopter ride. During a public rally, he removed the bulletproof armour while speaking. All steps aimed at instilling confidence in people as well as tourists regarding their security and a direct reply to terrorists and their masters across the border.
In his meeting with the top security brass, Amit Shah emphasised that no space can be given to separatism in Kashmir and asked J&K Police to lead efforts for a fresh and focused approach towards countering terrorists and their entire network while strengthening their human intelligence on ground. Shah expressed his displeasure over the recent civilian killings and asked police and security forces to eliminate terrorism. The Home Minister sent a strong message indicating that J&K Police cannot be seen as a weak force and the officers will have to recalibrate their counter-terror strategy accordingly.
In a surprise visit to South Kashmir, while paying homage to 40 CRPF soldiers who sacrificed their lives in 2019 at the Pulwama memorial, Shah motivated a joint gathering of Indian Army, J&K Police, CRPF, BSF and other forces. Giving the forces credit for ending stone pelting, Shah sat for dinner with the soldiers in their mess and asked them about their welfare.
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Kashmiriyat to Hindustaniyat
Modi’s Naya Kashmir vision has started taking shape, crushing several roadblocks in the path of development and peace. It cannot be a replica of the previous political approaches, driven only by a roadmap held out by separatists and Kashmir-centric politicians. Cosmetic exercises hatched at Gupkar Road and couriered to New Delhi for decades have failed to achieve peace for the common Indian citizen of J&K.
Vajpayee’s slogan of “Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat” has been long misused to cover the separatist conflict industry in Kashmir and its apologists in the mainstream. Modi has walked an extra mile to replace Kashmiriyat with Hindustaniyat. Shah has set the tone for Indianness during his Valley visit. Democratic and humane outreach cannot be held hostage by a misnomer—Kashmiriyat—which has long hidden Kashmir’s radical Islamist ideology’s gory crimes against humanity and Kashmiris who call themselves proud Indians. Kashmir doesn’t need a special status or a healing touch. It doesn’t even need a much-romanticized separate identity. Kashmir needs a new path of development and peace. And long-lasting peace can only prevail when Hindustaniyat or Indianness in Kashmir goes hand in hand with democracy and humanity.
Aditya Raj Kaul is Contributing Editor with more than a decade long experience in covering Conflict, Foreign Policy, and Internal Security.
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