Separatists caged within the four walls of their houses by the previous Omar Abdullah led NC-Congress coalition government and as well as the incumbent Mehbooba Mufti led PDP-BJP coalition government more on Fridays than the other five days of the week have been allowed to walk free and talk freely on issues concerning resolution of conflicts in Jammu & Kashmir state. Freedom to talk freely in public would by all means convey a message that government has at last given some space to dissenting voices to let the battle of ideas prevail in this trouble state which has been at the core of difficulties in India-Pakistan relations for the last seventy years. The public uprising that erupted in 2010 should have been responded with a serious political initiative with the dissenting sepratist voices commanding a great deal of public following for the sentiment they preach and propagate but unfortunately a team of three interlocutors appointed by the previous Congress led UPA government at the centre was not mandated to talk on the agenda preached and propagated by the dissenting separatist voices but the issues concerning the dilution of the special status granted to Jammu & Kashmir under article 370 of Indian constitution. Despite acknowledging the overwhelming public support to the agenda which the dissenting separatist voices preach and propagate in Jammu & Kashmir the previous Congress led UPA government did not allow the team of three interlocutors to take on board the separatists who hold key to even the current phase of unrest in Kashmir. Denial to accommodate and adjust the agenda of dissenting separatist voices by the previous Congress led UPA government at the centre led to the debacle of National Conference and Congress in 2014 assembly election and PDP was given the mandate by people of Kashmir with the intent of giving this mainstream party an opportunity to own the agenda of dissenting separatist voices in Kashmir. Unfortunately PDP in total deviation from its core political agenda choose to ally with BJP a party which not only propagates abrogation of article 370 granting special status to the state but also seeks denial of right to any political space to dissenting separatist voices proposing a dialogue with Pakistan and the genuine political representative of Jammu & Kashmir.
Freedom to separatists’ cage for last eight year is a good beginning but process has to supplemented with the initiatives of much awaited political engagement in Jammu & Kashmir and resumption of bilateral dialogue with Pakistan.
The youth upset with the PDP for allying with the BJP in total disregard of the public mandate tended to revive the 1990 type armed uprising and the killing of Burhan Wani theposter boy of the fresh breed of the militants triggered an unrest worst than 2010 summer uprising. During last two years killings of the record number of militants and civilians and the arrests of top separatist on charges of illegal funding did not improve the situation on ground in Kashmir and now when the increasing trends of militancy has starting driving youth from the institutions of higher learning and families of elite class to armed uprising the governments both in Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi have started thinking about the much await process of political engagement required to fill the increasing gapes between the government and the angered youth. Freedom to separatists cage for last eight year is a good beginning but process has to supplemented with the initiatives of much awaited political engagement in Jammu & Kashmir and resumption of bilateral dialogue with Pakistan.
