The people of Kashmir have been sucked into the seething cauldron of violence for no fault of theirs except by the sheer accident of their birth. As the younger generation challenges the might of the State by stone pelting and normal life gets disrupted time and again, it’s time to take stock of our approach to the K-problem. Strong-arm tactics and unbridled use of force cannot usher in peace. Only a humane approach can provide the much-needed healing touch

THE  advent of the Narendra Modi government with the massive mandate of the electorate and the euphoria it generated raised vague but high hopes of new initiatives on the India-Pakistan and Kashmir fronts.  With his penchant for dramatic action and out-of-the-box thinking, Prime Minister Modi was expected to somehow break new ground paving the way for normalisation of relations with Pakistan and resolution of the Kashmir issue.The symbolism surrounding his formal inauguration and his dramatic landing on Pakistan soil to shake hands with his counterpart lent some credence to popular expectations. Alas, three years down the line, India-Pakistan relations have not only not improved but have nosedived several notches — causing serious concern both nationally and internationally.  Recently, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and more significantly, the US President Donald Trump, during his election campaign and subsequently, offered to use their good offices to resolve the potentially explosive Kashmir issue.  Russia has steadfastly backed India’s stand on the Kashmir issue, but there are straws in the wind indicative of it moving towards a more nuanced approach in the context of emerging global geo-political and economic developments.  Though China is backing its all-weather ally to the hilt, there is mounting pressure on the nuclear-armed neighbours to settle their long-standing dispute over Kashmir, the “powder-keg” of South Asia.

Seeds of violence

The seeds of violence, death and destruction in the Kashmir Valley were sown on the birth of independent India and Pakistan.  Kashmir is central to India-Pakistan relations and  these relations are critical to militancy in Kashmir.  The latest wave of violence in the Valley was triggered by the death of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Sabzar Bhatt and his associate in an encounter in Pulwama.  The embers of the last major bout of violence over the killing of Burhan Wani, though nearly a year ago, had not yet fully subsided before the fresh eruption. The mob violence, specially pelting of stones at the security forces by the youth on both the occasions, has inevitably led to the imposition of curfew and call for protests by the Hurriyat followed by more stringent security measures and curbs on freedom of movement and detentions.  Cross- border terrorist intrusions and the methods used to effectively deal with them, coupled with internal violence and the measures to counter them, have taken many lives of the security forces and Kashmiris.  Thousands of widows, young and old, live in perpetual agony specially in districts like Kupwara.

Unmoved by suffering

Neither the loss of human lives nor human sufferings move the protagonists on either side of the India-Pakistan divide —notwithstanding the predictable outbursts of patriotic rhetoric, salute to the coffins and phoney pledges of eternal commitment to human rights and universal brotherhood. The Indian side is fighting on two fronts in the Valley: The separatist militants from within and the armed infiltrators from across the border. The two have become integral to each other, making it often practically impossible for the instruments of State authority to deal with them differently on the ground. The consequences have been disastrous as they inevitably lead to escalation of violence, disruption of normal life and the consequent alienation of local people.The increasing phenomenon of educated youth, including college-going girls, joining the ranks of the protesters, specially the stone-throwers, is ominously perturbing as it reflects the mood of the younger generation.  The situation has become so dauntingly complex that an exasperated Army Chief wished: “The people instead of throwing stones at us were firing weapons at us ……..”.  Vocal sections of angry youth proclaim Burhan Wani and Zakir Musa their heroes and role models. They perceive the security forces as instruments of State oppression and increasingly sympathise with the cause of the Hurriyat.  Their hatred of the forces, coupled with their total mistrust of the political class, have made them easy targets of militant secessionist ideology and propaganda.  The stern stand taken against them by the Centre has so far had  no deterrent effect.   To the contrary, they seem to add fuel to fire as  evident from the swelling ranks of the violent protestors.  That some of them are speaking the language of the separatists is disturbingly ominous.  Regrettably, a new generation infused with anti-India sentiments is on the making which is a matter of very serious concern about  Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of the Indian State and its democratic polity.   The militant separatists and the youth are undoubtedly no match to the might of the Indian Army, but a running battle with them is a negation of the very concept of Indian nationhood and pluralistic democracy.    The near -total absence of any serious engagement with them at any level makes matters worse by reinforcing their animosity and hatred of the  Central Government and Indian State.Though the BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir from its inception has been a coalition of convenience, it was vaguely hoped that it would slowly but steadily meander its ways to assuage the hurt feelings of the Kashmiris — thus paving the way for restoration of normalcy and at the same time strengthening the hands of the security forces to deal with infiltration from across the border.  Developments in the Valley have proved these hopes to be futile.  Distancing itself from the BJP, its partner-in-government, the PDP is charting its own course for talks with the Hurriyat and Pakistan reflecting its conciliatory approach as against the tough stance of the BJP and the Centre that maintain talks would follow the cessation of cross-border infiltration and militant terrorism sponsored by Pakistan and the Hurriyat.  According to its spokespersons, PDP is keen on the dialogue process in order to give the suffering people the much-needed relief by setting the stage for reconciliation and dialogue with all stakeholders, including the Hurriyat and Pakistan. 

Striking a different chord

“The resolution of the Kashmir issue is an article of faith with the PDP.  The people of Kashmir are agonised by the confrontationist policies and provocative voices”, the PDP Vice President Sartaj Madni said recently.   At the same time, the Government of India has reportedly evolved a strategic action plan towards a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue which envisages giving carte blanche to the Army to neutralise terrorists and their sympathisers both at the border and inside the Valley; cutting off funds to the terrorists and separatists; blocking of communication facing ongoing military operations; an aggressive media blitz to highlight how all this is done without killing innocent lives.  The much-publicised surgical strike, the statements of the Army Chief and the near-total absence of any overt or covert engagement with the agitating youth, the Hurriyat  and Pakistan confirm the tough strategic action plan in operation.  The cold response of the Centre to the overtures for talks with all the stakeholders made by the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir reinforces the current official position of the Government of India.The recent developments are most disturbing and cruelly agonising for the people of the Kashmir Valley. With the state and Central governments openly divided over the approach and strategy to deal with the complex  problem with its security concerns, political sensitivity and international ramifications, most regrettably the human aspects and the suffering of the people of the Valley are overlooked.  Given the current international context, in spite of our superior economic and military might, we cannot force our own solution to the border dispute with Pakistan however justified or rational it is.  Similarly, it is unlikely that the militancy in Kashmir which has spread its tentacles can be nipped through strong-arm tactics.  Well, then are there any options available to the Indian State?

Provide succour to people

The people of India are passionately possessive of Kashmir as an inalienable part of their country.  The people of Jammu and Kashmir, including the stone-throwing youth, are as much citizens of India as the people of any other state in the Indian Union.  They are strife-torn for no fault of theirs, except the accident of their birth.   Random killing of them, however heinous their crimes might be, should not be the Indian way of dealing with them for bringing peace in the violence-prone state.     Just as we provide succour to the people in distress in any other part of  India, we must rally round the people of Kashmir, engage with them, share their concerns and help them out of their genuine grievances.  Our helping hand and healing touch would win their hearts and minds.  Let the Indian State extend its olive branch to the Kashmiri youth, establish channels of communication with them and talk to them with full trust and without reservations and preconceived notions.  The path of peace and reconciliation is the only possible humane way of stopping the violence and ameliorating the sufferings of the people. Build confidence in them about the sincerity of our approach, about the security of their lives and their future in a peaceful Kashmir as honourable citizens of India and they will for sure be the best bet for facilitating the process of engaging with our inimical neighbour for peaceful coexistence.  No doubt, it is an outrageously uncertain path, which our security establishment and “patriotic nationalists” would pooh-pooh and reject out of hand with contempt, but let us remind ourselves that for 70 years periodic devious political ploys, half-hearted talks, surgical strikes and other invasive measures have only helped shedding more and more blood on the soil of Kashmir.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is uniquely placed, as no other Indian Prime Minister ever was, to walk the path of peace in the Kashmir valley and rise as a Messiah of hope for its tormented people in Kashmir.  Evil cannot be effaced by evil, though Tolstoy and Gandhi are dead and nearly forgotten for long!The writer served as the Principal Secretary and Adviser to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . THE  advent of the Narendra Modi government with the massive mandate of the electorate and the euphoria it generated raised vague but high hopes of new initiatives on the India-Pakistan and Kashmir fronts.  With his penchant for dramatic action and out-of-the-box thinking, Prime Minister Modi was expected to somehow break new ground paving the way for normalisation of relations with Pakistan and resolution of the Kashmir issue. The symbolism surrounding his formal inauguration and his dramatic landing on Pakistan soil to shake hands with his counterpart lent some credence to popular expectations. Alas, three years down the line, India-Pakistan relations have not only not improved but have nosedived several notches — causing serious concern both nationally and internationally.  Recently, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and more significantly, the US President Donald Trump, during his election campaign and subsequently, offered to use their good offices to resolve the potentially explosive Kashmir issue.  Russia has steadfastly backed India’s stand on the Kashmir issue, but there are straws in the wind indicative of it moving towards a more nuanced approach in the context of emerging global geo-political and economic developments.  Though China is backing its all-weather ally to the hilt, there is mounting pressure on the nuclear-armed neighbours to settle their long-standing dispute over Kashmir, the “powder-keg” of South Asia. Seeds of violence The seeds of violence, death and destruction in the Kashmir Valley were sown on the birth of independent India and Pakistan.  Kashmir is central to India-Pakistan relations and  these relations are critical to militancy in Kashmir.  The latest wave of violence in the Valley was triggered by the death of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Sabzar Bhatt and his associate in an encounter in Pulwama.  The embers of the last major bout of violence over the killing of Burhan Wani, though nearly a year ago, had not yet fully subsided before the fresh eruption. The mob violence, specially pelting of stones at the security forces by the youth on both the occasions, has inevitably led to the imposition of curfew and call for protests by the Hurriyat followed by more stringent security measures and curbs on freedom of movement and detentions.   Cross- border terrorist intrusions and the methods used to effectively deal with them, coupled with internal violence and the measures to counter them, have taken many lives of the security forces and Kashmiris.  Thousands of widows, young and old, live in perpetual agony specially in districts like Kupwara. Unmoved by suffering Neither the loss of human lives nor human sufferings move the protagonists on either side of the India-Pakistan divide —notwithstanding the predictable outbursts of patriotic rhetoric, salute to the coffins and phoney pledges of eternal commitment to human rights and universal brotherhood. The Indian side is fighting on two fronts in the Valley: The separatist militants from within and the armed infiltrators from across the border. The two have become integral to each other, making it often practically impossible for the instruments of State authority to deal with them differently on the ground. The consequences have been disastrous as they inevitably lead to escalation of violence, disruption of normal life and the consequent alienation of local people. The increasing phenomenon of educated youth, including college-going girls, joining the ranks of the protesters, specially the stone-throwers, is ominously perturbing as it reflects the mood of the younger generation.  The situation has become so dauntingly complex that an exasperated Army Chief wished: “The people instead of throwing stones at us were firing weapons at us ……..”.  Vocal sections of angry youth proclaim Burhan Wani and Zakir Musa their heroes and role models. They perceive the security forces as instruments of State oppression and increasingly sympathise with the cause of the Hurriyat.  Their hatred of the forces, coupled with their total mistrust of the political class, have made them easy targets of militant secessionist ideology and propaganda.  The stern stand taken against them by the Centre has so far had  no deterrent effect.   To the contrary, they seem to add fuel to fire as  evident from the swelling ranks of the violent protestors.  That some of them are speaking the language of the separatists is disturbingly ominous.  Regrettably, a new generation infused with anti-India sentiments is on the making which is a matter of very serious concern about  Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of the Indian State and its democratic polity.   The militant separatists and the youth are undoubtedly no match to the might of the Indian Army, but a running battle with them is a negation of the very concept of Indian nationhood and pluralistic democracy.    The near -total absence of any serious engagement with them at any level makes matters worse by reinforcing their animosity and hatred of the  Central Government and Indian State. Though the BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir from its inception has been a coalition of convenience, it was vaguely hoped that it would slowly but steadily meander its ways to assuage the hurt feelings of the Kashmiris — thus paving the way for restoration of normalcy and at the same time strengthening the hands of the security forces to deal with infiltration from across the border.  Developments in the Valley have proved these hopes to be futile.  Distancing itself from the BJP, its partner-in-government, the PDP is charting its own course for talks with the Hurriyat and Pakistan reflecting its conciliatory approach as against the tough stance of the BJP and the Centre that maintain talks would follow the cessation of cross-border infiltration and militant terrorism sponsored by Pakistan and the Hurriyat.  According to its spokespersons, PDP is keen on the dialogue process in order to give the suffering people the much-needed relief by setting the stage for reconciliation and dialogue with all stakeholders, including the Hurriyat and Pakistan.  Striking a different chord “The resolution of the Kashmir issue is an article of faith with the PDP.  The people of Kashmir are agonised by the confrontationist policies and provocative voices”, the PDP Vice President Sartaj Madni said recently.   At the same time, the Government of India has reportedly evolved a strategic action plan towards a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue which envisages giving carte blanche to the Army to neutralise terrorists and their sympathisers both at the border and inside the Valley; cutting off funds to the terrorists and separatists; blocking of communication facing ongoing military operations; an aggressive media blitz to highlight how all this is done without killing innocent lives.  The much-publicised surgical strike, the statements of the Army Chief and the near-total absence of any overt or covert engagement with the agitating youth, the Hurriyat  and Pakistan confirm the tough strategic action plan in operation.   The cold response of the Centre to the overtures for talks with all the stakeholders made by the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir reinforces the current official position of the Government of India. The recent developments are most disturbing and cruelly agonising for the people of the Kashmir Valley. With the state and Central governments openly divided over the approach and strategy to deal with the complex  problem with its security concerns, political sensitivity and international ramifications, most regrettably the human aspects and the suffering of the people of the Valley are overlooked.  Given the current international context, in spite of our superior economic and military might, we cannot force our own solution to the border dispute with Pakistan however justified or rational it is.  Similarly, it is unlikely that the militancy in Kashmir which has spread its tentacles can be nipped through strong-arm tactics.  Well, then are there any options available to the Indian State? Provide succour to people The people of India are passionately possessive of Kashmir as an inalienable part of their country.  The people of Jammu and Kashmir, including the stone-throwing youth, are as much citizens of India as the people of any other state in the Indian Union.  They are strife-torn for no fault of theirs, except the accident of their birth.   Random killing of them, however heinous their crimes might be, should not be the Indian way of dealing with them for bringing peace in the violence-prone state.     Just as we provide succour to the people in distress in any other part of  India, we must rally round the people of Kashmir, engage with them, share their concerns and help them out of their genuine grievances.  Our helping hand and healing touch would win their hearts and minds.  Let the Indian State extend its olive branch to the Kashmiri youth, establish channels of communication with them and talk to them with full trust and without reservations and preconceived notions.   The path of peace and reconciliation is the only possible humane way of stopping the violence and ameliorating the sufferings of the people. Build confidence in them about the sincerity of our approach, about the security of their lives and their future in a peaceful Kashmir as honourable citizens of India and they will for sure be the best bet for facilitating the process of engaging with our inimical neighbour for peaceful coexistence.  No doubt, it is an outrageously uncertain path, which our security establishment and “patriotic nationalists” would pooh-pooh and reject out of hand with contempt, but let us remind ourselves that for 70 years periodic devious political ploys, half-hearted talks, surgical strikes and other invasive measures have only helped shedding more and more blood on the soil of Kashmir.   Prime Minister Narendra Modi is uniquely placed, as no other Indian Prime Minister ever was, to walk the path of peace in the Kashmir valley and rise as a Messiah of hope for its tormented people in Kashmir.  Evil cannot be effaced by evil, though Tolstoy and Gandhi are dead and nearly forgotten for long! The writer served as the Principal Secretary and Adviser to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh