Crisis created by CASO

The cordon and search operation (CASO) launched with the motives of winding up the continuing armed uprising in Kashmir is in fact dismantling the political bonding of youth with the mainstream political leadership and increasing the tendencies of youth to join militant ranks despite record number of the killing of militants in long drawn gunfights in almost all the parts of Kashmir valley. Though it is an undeniable fact that the tendency to join militant ranks is increasing hugely in South Kashmir than the northern and central parts of Kashmir valley but this increasing tendency brewing up among youth in Kashmir is throwing up huge challenges to the mainstream political parties who try to reconnect themselves with the youth but the killings of the militants and civilians in gunfights and post gunfight clashes respectively day after day, week after week and month after month are taking away the mainstream political parties far from their mission of reconnecting themselves with the youth. Though ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the main opposition National Conference (NC) had started reaching out to their cadres for the purposes of creating a congenial atmosphere for the resuming their normal political activities and lifting of curbs on three top separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq and Mohd Yasin Malik has sent out messages of goodwill to the angered populations in Kashmir valley but the killings of militants and civilians in three South Kashmir gunfights have once again raised the tempers of the Kashmiri youth to sky rocketing heights.
In a fearful atmosphere that has been generated by the killing of militants and civilians in South Kashmir gunfights the government won’t find it easy to give breathing space to the top separatist leaders spearheading the current phase of public uprising in Kashmir valley. The biggest hurdle in the creation of a congenial political atmosphere for a broad based dialogue in Jammu & Kashmir is Modi government’s outright rejection of the demand of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over dialogue with Pakistan. Denying the right to freedom for political activities to separatists and rejecting a dialogue with Pakistan are the two major reasons for the unprecedented anger inspiring youth to move from college and university campuses to militant ranks. So hard posturing would continue to throw up more difficult challenges on the law enforcement front till the time Delhi sends out a message of willingness to respond to the political aspirations of Kashmiri youth. It for the Modi government in Delhi to understand the political psyche of the Kashmiri youth and respond to their political aspirations with some bold political initiatives on dialogue with the separatist leadership and the government of Pakistan.