President’s challengeable Kashmir remark

President Ram Nath Kovind remark on Kashmir during his address to the joint session of parliament is by all standards of political understandabilities challengeable on many count. As President Kovind said “militancy in Kashmir is related to cross border infilitartion”, the people who are not even remotely connected with the situation in Kashmir can ask the helmsmen in Delhi that if cross border infiltration is the cause of militancy in Kashmir then why people in thousands not only join the funeral prayers of the militants killed in counters with the government forces but also clash with the government forces against the killing of militants at the encounter sites and shut business in the areas where the militants are killed. Shutdowns, protests and clashes against both the militant and civilian killings are often spontaneous as very rarely now the separatist leaders are calling for shutdowns and protests. The people joining the funeral prayers of militants in thousands and clashing with government forces at the encounter sites is new trend in almost thirty year old militancy related violence in Kashmir valley.
After the countermanding of the Lok Sabha bye election for South Kashmir Lok Sabha constituency last year and difficulties coming in the way of government in the holding of the proposed panchayat elections not due to spurt in militancy related violence but due to the law and order challenges posed by the violent street protests across Kashmir. The contention of President Kovind that gates are open to those interested to join mainstream is also challenged on the pretext that the mainstream politics has failed to establish its writ on the ground due to mishandling of the current situation in Kashmir. The President’s remark that government forces are giving ‘befitting response’ to the trouble shoots is also challengeable on the pretext that detentions and arrest of youth has not boiled down the public against the incumbent government but instead the people controlling and commanding the central government in Delhi and state government in Jammu & Kashmir have been forced to withdraw cases against first time stone pelters in Kashmir. So cross border infiltration in Jammu & Kashmir is not as much responsible for the militancy in Kashmir as is the disproportionate use of forces by the incumbent central and state government. It is the political leadership both at the centre and in the state which has to look into the causes of growing trend of educated youth to join militant ranks and any casual approach of the central and the state governments on this new trend brewing up among youth in Kashmir can pose grave threats to the stability of peace, restoration of normalcy and working of vital state institutions in Jammu & Kashmir.