LoC: Give them respite

Though it might be interpreted as an attempt to score some brownie points over the present dispensation in New Delhi, the former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh was not off the mark in stating that Jammu and Kashmir has been mismanaged as never before. True, the Congress in its dealings with Jammu and Kashmir cannot come clean, right from Nehru’s time its track record has not only been very poor, but absolutely messy. Instead of working for ensuring permanent peace, the party leadership pushed the state into an ending uncertainty through cheap political maneuverings in 1953 and 1984, eroding people’s faith in democracy. Nevertheless, Manmohan Singh speaking in his address at 84th Congress plenary session made a point in stating that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was mismanaged, and there were many issues on Foreign policy that had been poorly handled. Not recognizing harsh realties and adopting an ostrich behavior is not going to help. The hardcore policies, in toady’s world that is up in arms against extremist politics, cannot guide the foreign policy of the country – it is only a secular approach that can provide a strong pedestal for the country’s foreign officers. In its policy towards Kashmir Manmohan Singh has no special feathers of success in his cap but one can give him credit for trying to carry forward the steps regarding Kashmir initiated by his predecessor in the office, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Manmohan Singh in his first term in the office, like his predecessor, engaged in dialogue with Kashmiri leadership and with Pakistan; also the track two meetings at various levels were never suspended. The sad thing about the Narendra Modi government is that for its lackluster policy with neighbors it could not maintain the spirit of the 2003 Ceasefire Agreement on the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. None but Vajpayee was the architect of this Ceasefire Agreement. Despite some lows in India and Pakistan relations, the agreement survived till the end of Manmohan Singh Government. For thirteen years over two million people living on both the sides lived a peaceful life. In 2017, New Delhi blamed Islamabad for 860 ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan blamed India for 1300 ceasefire violations. Scores of innocent civilians were killed on both sides of the dividing line. There is hardly a day when innocent citizen of the state are not getting killed. There is need to learn a lesson from history. The war cries by politicians in power, and military generals are not going to help; they have not helped in the past, they are not going to help in future. Let us learn to respect the 2003 Ceasefire agreement to give some relief to people of living along the LoC.