Kashmir, as yet, is not a lost case. The bloodletting, the pellet firing, the death toll that by now is reaching the range of 60, the uneasy calm, stray cases of fighting, and much more in, around and about the Valley are grim realities that send a chill down the spines of every conscious Indian and raises the temperature in neighbouring Pakistan as well. But, beyond the current posturing, there is possibly a spark of light at the end of the tunnel. It is not a hopeless scenario, after all.
Mind the rare meeting of minds, the meeting of slain militant commander Burhan Wani’s father with spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore the other day. Elderly Muzaffar Wani has faced the gravest crises in his life. Both his sons had been shot dead by the security forces in separate actions. He was naturally bitter in the aftermath of what essentially were much more than family tragedies.
The killing of the elder brother by security forces, as a consequence of his pursuit of militancy, led the younger Wani to take to the same path with increased vehemence. His youthful figure and fighting spirit earned him a large following, and Pakistan was obviously at the other end of the picture, aiding and abetting militancy bordering on separatism flowing into terrorism.
The nexus between the home-grown militants in the Valley, like the Wanis, and terror modules backed by the ISI are all too clear. Tough situations call for tough responses. A government is not worth its salt if it stood by and vacillated over issues. Having proven a point, it is time for reconciliation and stock-taking.
For both sides, of course. Muzzafar Wani’s visit to the Sri Sri ashram in Bangalore is ostensibly to treat his diabetes complications. But, there is obviously more to it than meets the eye. Senior Wani has already made a plea, on his own volition, to the Kashmiri youths to maintain restraint while carrying on with the protests against the killing of Burhan Wani. Sensible enough.
In Bangalore, in his interactions with Sri Sri, the retired teacher stressed on the need for a workable solution to the Kashmir issue, and his insistence is also that a solution within the framework of the Indian Constitution would not work. That is, for a start. Yet, the Indian government which has no one to talk to for a solution has found the best possible negotiator. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.
The troubled Valley quietly cries for an end to the over a month-long suffering marked by curfew, violence and more killings. The silver lining is also that the mayhem is mainly limited to four out of the 10 Kashmir districts; and CM Mehbooba has stressed some 95 per cent of the people in the Valley craved for peace. If community elders like Muzzafar Wani see reason and show a readiness for dialogue, that is a welcome sign.
The Indian establishment has been making it clear, time and again, that it would not part with even an inch of land of the Kashmir Valley, come what may. Alongside, several new initiatives are supposedly unfolding. Out of the blue, India has revived and reasserted its claim on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
For decades, Pakistanis had been led to believe that India no more had a claim on the Kashmir on their side, even though an old UN resolution had called for plebiscite in both the Kashmir provinces. This new Indian posturing has raised the issues that the Nawaz Sharif government and the more important military establishment in Pakistan have to deal with. If they are not showing their embarrassment, that only goes to mean that discretion is the better part of valour.
To which situation is added another challenge in the guise of a move from the Indian side to invite Indian settlers in PoK to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas annual jamborees from now on. And, the government is also coming up with a plan to extend a Rs2,000crore financial package to those who had come and settled down in the Valley from PoK, to an extent of over Rs5 lakh to each such family.
According to a state government survey, there are as many as 36,000 such Kashmiri families beyond the border. This proposal is pending Cabinet approval. There are the imponderables, but prima facie, this would look like an investment for the future. It could also, by other reckoning, be another dump in the black hole that Kashmir has turned out to be over the years.
An all-party delegation is set to visit Kashmir next month. CM Mehbooba has come up with a three-pronged action programme to win back the trust of Kashmiris and restore peace. There is also a move to change the present governor. NN Vohra has been around for a long, long time.
A change is in order, but that change should be for the better. Someone who has an eye for details and the sharpness of an ace card sharp should be around to lead. Kashmir cannot be dealt with solely by the armed forces any more. Imagination and sympathy are more important for recovery.
Gone are the days of ‘peace comes through the barrel of a gun’. Everyone has a better gun to tote. Answer must be searched for and found through sincerity. A bully will meet a greater bully. Changing tack is the only option for India today. Whether Damodardass Modi will squander this opportunity, too, is something time alone will tell us.