Ahead of assembly elections in Gujrat the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has tried to settle political scores by blaming Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru for allowing the division of Jammu & Kashmir after 1947 India-Pakistan partition and claiming credit for giving a free hand to army in killing militants. While Home Minister Rajnath Singh might have his own reasons to claim credit for the killing of militants by army in anti-militancy operations in Jammu & Kashmir but the causes of the killing of innocent civilians by army, paramilitaries and police in public protests staged in the aftermath of the killing of militants in encounters are neither explained by Home Minister Rajnath Singh to the people in India nor discussed in debates on Kashmir situation on national news channels in Delhi. Neither the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh nor the TV anchors of news channels can’t dispute the fact that the main cause of the unrest and rising anger in Jammu & Kashmir is the non stop killing of civilians in public protests held in the aftermath of the killing of militants in the encounters with the government forces. In past people would never come out in thousands to stage violent protests against the killing of militant but a new trend of staging public protests on encounter sites resulting in killing of civilians have started from the day top Hizbul Commander Burhan Wani was killed during unrest last year. The violent public protests staged against the militant killings show that ideological bonding of the people of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country is missing.
Even top army generals of India have advised the central government to give up political posturing and look for political initiatives to re-establishing lasting peace in Jammu & Kashmir and as such Home Minister Rajnath Singh has all reasons to act on the advice of top army generals who propose political engagements but not war mongering on Kashmir issue.
While Home Minister Rajnath Singh is generating an euphoria over the killing of militants in Jammu & Kashmir as if normalcy is fast returning to Jammu & Kashmir the Mehbooba government in Jammu & Kashmir is finding it difficult to revive mainstream politics in Kashmir valley. The continuity in attacks on legislators and ministers by stone throwing crowds in Kashmir valley is in itself an indication of the rising anger against the mainstream politics in Jammu & Kashmir and speaks volumes about the political sentiment left unresolved by the successive central government in Jammu & Kashmir. Military divide was no doubt a big blunder of the first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru but use of military means for enforcing a decision of its own on the people of Jammu & Kashmir won’t facilitate state’s integration with the rest of the country. While the military means are failing to bring people of Jammu & Kashmir closer to integration with the rest of the country even now, the political engagement remains the only workable course of action for the central government to facilitate the political bonding of the people of Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of the country. Even top army generals of India have advised the central government to give up political posturing and look for political initiatives to re-establishing lasting peace in Jammu & Kashmir and as such Home Minister Rajnath Singh has all reasons to act on the advice of top army generals who propose political engagements but not war mongering on Kashmir issue.
