Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah was in Delhi recently to meet the top leadership of the UPA government and the Congress party. The information given to the media spoke at length of the law and order measures that were being taken to make administration easier for him, but there was not  a word in any of the media reports about what the two governments were preparing to do to address the anger and the alienation.

The reason is not far to seek. The governments in both Srinagar and New Delhi have decided to view the round of violence as a basic law and order problem involving vested interests and forces from across the border. In their combined wisdom the centre and the state have decided that any one questioning the National Conference centre in Jammu and Kashmir is a terrorist, or at least some one close to them. The PDP too has been now painted in the same brush with the chief minister making it clear that since the Opposition party did not attend the all Party meeting called by him, it had no right to voice its opinion on any of the major issues concerning the state.

This approach, unfortunately, is not just juvenile but also dangerous when applied to a border state with the volatile sensitivities of Jammu and Kashmir. To convert governance into a ‘either me or no one’ business is fraught with dangers that can isolate the government at crucial times, and ensure that its voice becomes too weak to be heard in the state. Omar Abdullah, a favourite with the politicians and the media in New Delhi, has allowed opposition and criticism to drive him indoors and develop a siege mentality that plays directly into the hands of the very forces trying to undermine his government. His effort should be to reach out, even if it means a personal drive to a Kashmiri leaders house. Such an approach would have deprived his opponents of all fig leaves, and refusal to meet him or at least talk would then lower their stature instead of his.

It is also important for the state chief minister to speak for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, instead of against them. They are not the enemy. And by converting them into agents of the Lashkar e Tayaba or the Hizbul Mujahideen, the state is siding with the centre in further alienating the angry young men, many of whom are not aware of exploitation by vested interests, and really believe that every stone they hurl carries with it a message of their anger, and a cry for freedom. Instead of ridiculing them, or dismissing them as terrorists or agents, a sober and mature state government led by a Kashmiri could have been expected to address the real issues of unemployment and alienation. Unfortunately this has not happened and the voices from government corridors in Srinagar and Delhi sound the same.

Jammu and Kashmir is a border state, and given an opportunity forces from without will step in. This is for sure. In the decade of militancy those indulging in violence were successful because they had the support of the people. The day the Kashmiris realized that they were paying a heavy price for the violence and withdrew their support, the militants were fairly easy prey for the security forces and the levels of violence reduced dramatically. The same has been true of the north east, or now the so called mainland states of India where the Maoists are able to hold the security forces at bay because they have the support of the local people.

It is as simplistic as that, and so one wonders at the arrogance of a Omar Abdullah or a Chidambaram who fail to realise that any measures governments take must be directed at the alienation and the anger. If neither exists, those indulging in violence will not have the support base they so desperately require for sustained action. The stone pelting boys are today in Kashmir a symbol of growing anger, which has marginalized even the Kashmiri separatists and the opposition. A sensitive and responsive government, close to the people, would have at least tried to address at least some of the reasons for the anger, if not all. By dismissing the alienation as Pakistan sponsored, the government has clearly decided to ignore it in the hope that it will go away. And if it does not, as it will not, to deal with it as a law and order problem by invoking terror laws and action from the security forces. A political problem, thus, has been very effectively reduced to a law and order problem.

Everyone knows that a government is powerful. Those in authority do not have to slap all kinds of ‘waging war against the country’ charges against journalists to prove the point. Everyone knows---not just in Jammu and Kashmir but in every poor district of India---that the lathi wielding constable and his political protector can destroy the life of those who dare question the system. But only for the moment, for truth is on the side of the innocent people, and people will have their day. So by invoking laws, and shooting the messenger, governments do not invite respect. They do not even invite fear. For those on the receiving end know that only weak governments hide behind draconian laws and the security forces. Courageous governments led by statesmen and not weak kneed politicians, reach out to the people, speak to the people, and try and make amends by taking measures that are necessary to win the confidence and trust of the people. This is the difficult course. The easy one is to move in the army, arrest each and every opponent, beat up a few journalists and pretend that one is in command.

One had hoped that Omar Abdullah, young and sincere at one point in time, would realise that strength lies in what many of his ilk perceive as weakness: the trust and support of the people at large. It seems that instead of striking out and showing the way, he has succumbed to the status quo and decided to follow the herd, away from his people.

(The author is National Affairs Editor, News X.Feedback at seemamustafa@gmail.com)

Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
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