Omar Abdullah: “J&K elections have handed India a lifeline”

 

Jammu and Kashmir’s new Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah said in an interview to Reuters today that the recent elections in J&K have handed India a lifeline; referring to an opportunity for the Government of India to refurbish relations with the people of J&K. The very premise of his contention is flawed and overlooks the basic cause of discontent in the state. Omar Abdullah’s assumption and rule (in line with his father Farooq Abdullah) is based on the understanding that discontent in J&K can be addressed if the government of India adopts a more emphatic view and caters to the socio-economic development of the state. His analysis skips over a vital intermediary link between the people of J&K and Government of India – the State Government. In the very first place Omar Abdullah’s government will have to win the confidence of the people of J&K and better comprehend their grievances.

[Photo Courtesy: Reuters/Vijay Mathur] 

 

The logical query then is: why does the party elected through a democratic process needs to re-win the confidence of the people? Was the electoral mandate not a reflection of the people’s confidence in Omar Abdullah’s party?

In answering this question it is essential to comprehend the unique case of J&K. The Maharaja of Kashmir had signed the Instrument of Accession with India on the condition that J&K would enjoy a large measure of autonomy and the federal authority would be limited. From the efforts of the National Conference under Sheikh Abdullah in 1951 to convene a Constituent Assembly in Sri Nagar to the demands of independence by the JKLF (Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front) since 1990; from the Pakistan supported Harat ul Mujahideen’s extremism to the violent protests by common people, the sentiment for greater freedom has remained the central element of J&K politics. Elections are viewed by the majority in the state as a means to create conditions for greater freedom rather than end in itself. Even during the recent security hyped Assembly polls there were pro-independence demonstrations across the Kashmir Valley. The civil society in Kashmir does not accept elections as a substitute for independence. According to Syed Ali Shah Geelani, leader of Hurriyat Conference, the people have voted for roads, electricity and other local issues and not on Kashmir per se during the Assembly elections last year. 

The situation is further complicated by the cacophony of interests and demands in the state of J&K. According to Sumantra Bose, a renowned expert on J&K, there is a matryoshka doll complexicity of political allegiances in the State. Even though the pro-independence sentiment is strong in the Kashmir Valley, there is a sizeable section of the population (Kashmiri Pandits, Gujjars) who desire to be associated with India. Likewise the Hindu majority region of Jammu would favor ties with India while the districts of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda within Jammu might have a dissenting view. Democratic elections based on the dominance of majority principle are ill-equipped to do justice to the credible yet highly contradictory demands of the people in J&K. Thus the mandate received by Omar Abdullah is partial and fractured. His government will have to manage the multiple ethno-religious identities and their respective demands in the process of bringing peace and stability to the State.

The situation in J&K has been further complicated by the manner in which successive state governments have worked and Omar Abdullah’s tenure appears to be no exception. 42 people have been detained under the notorious Public Safety Act in the state in seven weeks since the new government assumed office; the State Government has shifted focus from the demand of autonomy to good governance, in spite of the fact that the efforts to realize autonomy was an oft repeated promise during the election campaign of the National Conference. Free reign of the Army still continues and there have been four incidents of civilian killings by the armed forced since the new government assumed charge. Most recently, on February 21, the Army killed two youth and injured one in unprovoked firing in the Sopore Village. The incident has left the family of the 12^th standard victim shocked and seeking justice. But the military personnel are protected under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and it’s unlikely that they would charged. In another incident highlighting the anti-people policies of the state establishment Muhammad Qasim Faktoo, head of Muslim Dini Mahaz is still in custody and facing an unfair trial.

The politico-legal issues apart, even the most basic facilities are lacking in the state with students taking exams in open under freezing conditions and goodwill projects going all wrong. Omar Abdullah has cited the global economic slowdown and strained relations between India and Pakistan as impediments to resolving the Kashmir issue immediately. The new CM needs to realize that the demands of justice, greater autonomy and basic civic amenities in the State can be realized even while the macro factors related the resolution of J&K are negatively poised. J&K elections have in fact handed the new leadership of J&K its first lifeline to transform the fate of the State.