It is nine months since the demotion of Jammu and Kashmir toa union territory. This population has always been better than the nationalaverage in terms of education, employment and wealth. A review of this periodand the achievements by a frequent visitor could make a meaningful analysis.
It all began from 1st August when I, along with a team wentto the valley to conduct a medical camp organized through the local authoritiesin Kangan, a picturesque township with a mixed ethnic population on way to thebeautiful Sona Marg meadow. On our arrival there we were told that the camp maynot be possible because there was a news in the air that something adverse isin offing. An additional 38,000 troops had been sent to the valley a few daysback for no announced reasons. One of the talks going around was that theIndian state had finally decided to invade Pakistan Administered Kashmir andunite the two parts as was often reiterated in the election speeches. Therewere signs of anxious looks on the people, long queues at the petrol pumps inthe city and also people buying and stocking rations including things of dailynecessity.
The morning of 2nd August was full of advisories beingannounced asking one lakh pilgrims on way to the holy cave of Amar Nath toimmediately return because of security reasons. The route is always very wellguarded by the security forces well in advance. Next announcement was that alltourists from the valley should immediately pack up and leave for their homesby the 4th of August. Airlines weregiven directions to advance the tickets of tourists and pilgrims withoutlevying any extra charges. We also dejectedly changed our tickets and came backon 4th of August.
Came 5th August and the Home Minister in the parliamentannounced the decision of setting aside article 370 and 35 A. Bifurcation ofthe state into 2 union territories. All the methods of communications includingtelephones were cut off. Army started patrolling streets and people were cagedin their homes. All the political leaders including block presidents andthousands of people including prominent lawyers arrested. They were put underhouse arrest or sent to un-disclosed places. These included 3 past ChiefMinisters and their key associates including Farooq Abdullah who has been an unflinched supporter of the Kashmir’s accession to India.
Consequences of this sudden lock down and disruption ofcommunications and the miseries faced by Kashmiris can now be understood betterwith the COVID-19 experience by people of India and world.
I was interviewed by a National TV Channel on the 6th ofAugust since I had seen Kashmir during these days of un-certainty. I narratedwhatever I saw about the prevailing atmosphere in the valley. Few weeks lateron 30th of August I was summoned by the National Investigations Agency (NIA)for some case of a Hawala transaction of 2017 at a very short notice. Itfinally turned out to be a misinterpretation of the term INR (internationalNormalized Ratio) a blood coagulation parameter with the currency code forIndian Rupee. Whether this summon was just coincidental or a move to warn meagainst speaking out the truth publicly is anybody’s guess?
With the leaders in jails, there was spontaneous resistance,protests and show of unity by way of shutdown of all the shops for severalmonths. Tourism industry has been nearly shut, hotels and house boats areempty. The season’s booming business of apples, dry fruits, saffron andhandicrafts plummeted to a new low and very little exports leading to losses inall the fields.
Patients faced enormous difficulty in reaching hospitals forseeking treatment, medicines became scarce. Students lost academic sessionsbecause educational institutions including schools remained closed till March2020 till the Corona -19 arrived on the scene and the lock down gotextended. Nine months down the linethere are as yet no signs or programs of development.
The administration and civic amenities in the valley wentfor a toss. Most of the non-Kashmiri labour which fled or was driven out fromthe valley and now complicated by the Corona virus fear is unlikely to return.The roads are in a pathetic condition with pot holes all over, electricitywires at innumerable places have fallen and are touching the ground posing aserious threat of electrocutions. The whole atmosphere is very gloomy andhopeless with psychiatric problems especially depression seeing an upsurge. People are very scared to open up because ofthe fear of getting beaten up and arrested. The recent happenings in East Delhiand the campaigns of harassment and spread of hate against minorities hasfurther shaken the people’s morale and the present regimens promise is not beingtaken seriously.
The present regimen wants to scrap important events linkedwith the late Sheikh Abdullah, an undisputed leader of Kashmiri’s. The otherthing being introduced is changing the names like: Kashmir’s water supplydepartment is now Jal Shakti department. The Chenani-Nasri Tunnel on thenational high way has been named after Hindutva ideologue Shyama PrasadMookerjee. The Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium is going to be named SardarVallabhbhai Patel Stadium and many similar changes are on the cards. This ishow the present dispensation thinks a complete integration with India willcome.
What is required is to gain the confidence of people byengaging with their spokesmen and finding out democratic ways of solving theissue. Majority of the people of the valley in fact had reconciled to the factthat their future is best served by living peacefully and these draconianmeasures were uncalled for. A governmentwhich can afford to keep 1 million security forces in J&K can easilyrehabilitate 50,000 Kashmiri Pundit families living outside the valley bysolving their issues amicably, instead of using them as a political tool.
A new scare has now engulfed the valley like all parts ofthe world with more than 700 cases testing positive till date with anincreasing trend. It is time to understand the difficulties people have beenfacing during the last 9 months in particular and take an empathetic attitude.This will also help to solve the lingering issue of 70 years by ultimatelydiscussing it with all the stake holders through their true representatives. Itis never too late. What is required is to have a vision and a will to do itlike Sh Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh, who had started thisprocess for a lasting peace in the sub-continent. Closing doors is not anoption.
Author is a Cardiologist and Scientist working in Delhi. Past President of the Cardiology Society of India and SAARC Cardiac Society. Recipient of Padmashiri and Dr. BC Roy Award.