Jammu and Kashmir will have to redefine itself in 2024 building upon all what it achieved and learnt in 2023 that ended on a near-perfect note. For Kashmir, it is not just a calendrical shift of pages but a call to redesign itself both on the ground and in narratives. This is important for the Union Territory and its place in the Indian Union.
There is wide recognition of the fact that Jammu and Kashmir has come out of the dark shadows of the past. Its path has been lit by much sought-after normalcy and pursuit of peace, but there are a number of missing points which have been overlooked in the loud broadcast of the narratives of Jammu and Kashmir having reached a stage where no solution and no dialogue were needed to address the grievances as it is being presumed that all the concerns have been addressed and nothing more is left to be done except to pace up development, enriching infrastructures, connectivity and economy. The development of the past couple of years confirms transformative trajectory of the Union Territory. This route is considered as the best way out to redress the grievances of the people.
Continuing with this trajectory in 2024 is one of the ways to keep the momentum of the eye-pleasing and heart-warming development. There are a few gaping holes staring at the people of J&K, which the Centre and the people of the UT can help each other bridge. Delhi has done tremendous work to build bridges, understanding the problems and delivering solutions. These efforts are mostly administrative and focused on the goal of bringing down the terrorism level to zero – which means that a stage from where terrorism is breathless. This is crucially important to remove terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as without terror-free much of progress is not possible. The terror incidents of the past few decades have a lesson in it. Terrorism not only hobbled the development of all sorts but also perpetuated an idea of permanent conflict which only expanded uncertainty. The uncertain and fragile atmosphere best serves the interests of hostile forces within Jammu and Kashmir and across the border. That creates a host of complexities which are not easy to untangle.
The reality, visible as of today, is that a long distance has been covered by the Centre as it got a free hand to do what Jammu and Kashmir needed over the decades when it thrived on the narrative of being different and unique, separate from the idea of India. This thesis manifested in the boom of guns and stones. That created all obstacles to the development. Worse still whatever little had been achieved in the past was also undone by the violence that sent youth to graves and made the minorities and peace-loving people to migrate out of their motherland. The uniqueness of the place and the people was consumed by terrorism, as violence was never a thing with which Kashmir was identified ever. Kashmir was always known as a place of enchanting beauty and joy for locals and visitors alike.
There is a wide-ranging demand by all-non-BJP political parties and its associates in Sangh Parivar, that Assembly elections be held to allow the people’s own government to replace the bureaucratic system. This is a genuine democratic urge as the elections are one of the best parameters to determine the will of the people. No other survey or assertion can erase this democratic necessity.
In 2024, this has assumed extraordinary significance because of three fundamental reasons; Jammu and Kashmir is in its sixth year without an elected government- the last elected government of the PDP-BJP coalition stood dissolved in June 2018, secondly, the Supreme Court while delivering a verdict on Article 370 on December 11, 2023, had also directed the Election Commission of India to hold the Assembly polls by September 30, 2024. The third reason is that J&K, alongside with the rest of the country will go to Lok Sabha polls in April-May this year, that will raise an inevitable question: If parliamentary polls can be held, why not the Assembly polls? This issue was raised in 2019 too, the answer to which is awaited till date. The Centre will have to come up with a convincing answer to the question, without repeating the cliché that ECI has to take a call on it. This is a universally known fact that ECI cannot take a call on the elections in J&K without a green light from the security apparatus of the Centre, and now when the Centre is directly ruling the UT.
In a larger context, it will not be out of place to understand the importance of the people’s willingness to recognize the realities – the UN resolutions have become obsolete, the Pakistan factor is equally dead, and there is no question of reversal of the revocation of Article 370. Some of these realities have evolved and also brought about by the Narendra Modi government. This needs to be understood and accepted as the philosophy of dispute is dying. That way J&K can create a future for itself.
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