The aftermath of Muhammad Afzal Guru's execution has embroiled Kashmir and parts of Jammu beyond the anticipation of policy establishment in New Delhi. It has somehow eroded the trust in mainstream political discourse among even those who until recently saw engagement with it as the sole recipe for political justice in Jammu & Kashmir. This situation also seems to have unnerved the government, including security agencies, in the state beyond their normal anticipative indicators. The reality is that this situation, at the end of the day, is the manifestation of the political crisis that has dogged this state right from 1947. The biggest irony is that the same political crisis continues to define the entire political discourse in Jammu & Kashmir. With a view to contain public protests the government has been quick to impose curfew, limit modes of communications like Internet and media and impose other curbs on public sources of information. Lately it has embarked on another round of law and order measures like mass arrest of protesters and identification of individuals engaged in proactive protests on social media. It is possible that more of such measures could follow in case the situation did not stabilize in the days to come. The fundamental flaw with such law and order approach in Jammu & Kashmir has been that it has never helped in creating a credible and stable democratic political system in the state. Application of heavy handed security measures end up creating more political dissent, which most of the times manifests in deep estrangement with the state and its institutions. The end result is the creation of a vicious circle of political instability that neither helps New Delhi's political cause in Jammu & Kashmir nor helps the people in the state in living a dignified life with all the necessary human and civil rights. It is high time to review this law and order approach, its utility and the results it has delivered in the last sixty years.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST