Cellphones, Cricket, Apples….Security Concerns Rule Everything in J&K

India has gained mastery over chaotic diplomacy in the domestic and international arenas. The latest demonstration of this mastery came just days after P.M. Singh visited Jammu and Kashmir to win the hearts and minds of the people in the State. P.M. Singh inaugurated a train service linking Kashmir with Srinagar and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi addressed a public rally without bullet-proof screens. The gestures were aimed at highlighting the return of normalcy to the terror ridden J&K. Even before the people of the State could react to the new initiatives, the Home Ministry announced the decision to ban pre-paid cellular phones in J&K. The reasons are obvious: security concerns, terrorists could misuse these connections. The ban applies only to pre-paid connections because the validation process for securing such a connection is much easier than the post-paid ones. Now 39 lakh people with pre-paid cellular connections will have to look for alternative means of connecting across the state. Moreover, by the classic stroke of a pen, 10,000 telephone operators most of whom are young Kashmiri youth will loose their jobs. Connectivity and economic development were the dominant themes of P.M. Singh’s recent visit to J&K. Could there be a better way to further alienate the people of J&K?
Some might argue that people can simply switch to post-paid connections. But I have two specific objections to this. First, is symbolic in nature. On the one hand the P.M. through his visit sought to convince the people of J&K, all Indians and the international community of how J&K was returning to normalcy and on the other hand decisions were implemented to completely negate these claims by the Government itself. Second, if the real problem is the validation process, then the cellular providers should have been asked to tighten the process rather than penalizing the people of J&K. Moreover, the terrorists have other advanced satellite communication systems and will be able to coordinate without pre-paid cellular connections.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Nazir Ahmad Dar said the move sends a wrong message to prospective investors. ‘‘It means that terrorism is as high as it was in 2003 when the cellphone services were launched in the state.’’
“The sudden ban would affect health care,’’ said Dr Shafaqat Rasool of Srinagar’s G B Pant Hospital.

Following is a comment on the Reuters Blog discussing the same issue:
“Its just like treating twins in a family in different manners, In Assam there are ULFAs, In Jharkhand we can hear and see news of hijacking a train, in Bihar we have lots of news related to local terror, terrorism is everywhere why the same rule is not imposed on these state and if troops are arresting militants just by tracking their cellphones then it should be used as a weapon against terrorism, its not easy to approach valley due to inadequate means of communication, banning prepaid mobile phones will be another step to isolate valley with rest of the world.”
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The pre-paid cellular phone is just one episode in the long saga of official irresponsibility towards J&K. Decision of the Services Sports and Control Board to pull out of a match against Jammu and Kashmir to be held at Sher-E-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar was also based on security concerns. FYI: Services Team is the joint team of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Though the BCCI has banned the Services Team from the Ranji Trophy this year, the people of J&K are disappointed at having missed an opportunity to witness the country’s favorite sport being played on home ground. According to updated information the Services team management has apologized for the administrative slip-up and requested new dates for the game. Pragmatic Euphony has an excellent blog post on the politics behind this fiasco.
Apple traders in J&K sold their produce last year to traders in POK, following P.M. Singh plea for breaking economic barriers. Given the absence of communication and banking systems across the LOC, traders on the Indian side have not been reimbursed for their sales. After appeals to the Chief Minister and P.M. were unheeded the traders have simply decided not to trade across the LOC and struggle to live with huge losses.
Since Pakistan is busy dealing the terror attacks, the Government of India is filling the vacuum. If Pakistan is unable to sabotage the peace process in J&K, the Government of India will not spare any effort to accomplish that task. For the people of J&K this ‘one step forward and two step backward’ peace process is more frustrating that the specter of terrorism.