The NDA 2.0 led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems tohave put Kashmir on top of its agenda. The new Union Home Minister, Amit Shah,has chaired series of meetings with his focus on Kashmir and media reportssuggest that lot of deliberations have been held on various issues vis-à-visKashmir.
Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, soon after taking thecharge of his new ministry arrived in Kashmir and also paid a visit to Siachenglacier, world’s highest battlefield.
The developments which have taken place after the formationof new government at the Centre have made it amply clear that the Government ofIndia (GoI) wants Kashmir situation to improve and the people at helm in NewDelhi don’t want to take any chances.
People of Kashmir are watching the developments keenly. Theyknow it very well that Delhi is framing its new Kashmir policy and it would beimplemented in coming days.
The Union Home Minister has discussed Amarnath Yatra,Assembly elections and Articles 35A and 370 with the top officials. There wereeven reports that the Government of India is toying with the idea of setting upa delimitation commission in Jammu and Kashmir. Though the media reports weredenied by the MHA but many people believe that something is cooking.
There are apprehensions that the Articles 35A and 370, whichprovide special status to Jammu and Kashmir, may go and delimitation can alsotake place. The Kashmir based politicians, including Omar Abdullah, MehboobaMufti, Sajad Lone and Shah Faesal have taken a strong exception to such newsreports and have tried their best to convey it to New Delhi that it should nottry to change the status-quo in J&K.
The National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah hasbeen demanding that Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir should be heldforthwith and people should be allowed to choose their own government. Sincethe day NC has won all the three parliamentary seats in Kashmir, the party hassniffed a chance to form a government and wants Election Commission of India(ECI) to take a final call so that uncertainty ends.
The ECI recently hinted that Assembly elections in J&Kwould take place after the Amarnath Yatra ends, September-October this year.But the reports about the possibility of New Delhi defreezing the delimitationcould pose a serious challenge to Kashmir based politicians as it wouldincrease the Assembly seats in Jammu region and there is every possibility thatthe party which emerges as the single largest party in Jammu demands the ChiefMinister’s post.
If BJP fulfils its election promise of removing Articles 35Aand 370 in Jammu and Kashmir it would further escalate the problems forKashmiri mainstream leaders.
If Assembly elections are held soon then delimitation won’tbe possible and Kashmiri leaders could get another chance to head a governmentin the state. If the BJP led NDA government decides to go ahead with itsproposed plans vis-à-vis Kashmiri it could change the very dynamics of thepolitics in the Valley.
It seems that the New Delhi has stopped viewing Kashmir as alaw and order problem only and it has decided to go ahead with the completeintegration of the state with rest of the country. There is every possibilityabout the Government of India taking tough decisions in coming days and months.Kashmiri leaders would have to come up with a strategy which could save themfrom facing a huge embarrassment as New Delhi seems to have made up its mind.Among all the parties National Conference would have to put its act together asit has made safeguarding J&K’s special status as its main agenda. In factthe party contested the recently held parliamentary polls with a promise thatit would go to any extent to ensure that special status of J&K is notfiddled with.
During the past five years New Delhi has succeeded inchanging the political scenario in the Valley. Earlier Kashmir politics wasconfined to National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party. Today manyoptions are available within the Valley. The cut throat competition among theKashmir based parties has made things difficult for the mainstream leaders. Itseems they too have realized that a single party in Kashmir cannot achieve muchand regaining the power is not going to be that easy. And the electedgovernment could face an uphill task to ensure that status-quo is not changed.
(Javaid Malik is Senior Editor Greater Kashmir).