Syed Basharat Haqani
After alleging ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to be responsible for worsening security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) left the ruling coalition. It is mentioned that the BJP, which had allied with PDP in 2015 to rule, as BJP had 25 lawmakers, while the PDP had 28 in the state assembly, where the majority mark is 45. Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav told reporters in New Delhi that the alliance had become “untenable.” Resultantly Mehbooba Mufti’s tenure as chief Minister came to an abrupt end with a call from Governor NN Vohra, who informed her that the BJP had pulled out of its alliance with the PDP. Ms Mufti, listened to the news in silence, and after a pause said there was no need for talks with the BJP and submitted her resignation. Soon after, Ram Madhav made his announcement in Delhi, ending the uneasy, often fractious alliance between the BJP and PDP and setting the stage for another round of Governor’s rule for the valley, as PDP was allegedly perceived as the advocate of reconciliation. Direct rule by the central Government gave the BJP a free hand to control the state ahead of a general election that mayprobably be held by the month of May next year.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar soon after, Ms Mufti said “I have resigned from Chief Minister-ship, shook hands with the BJP for the sake of serving the people and It took us several months to form a mutual agenda with BJP” maintaining that the Kashmir issue could only be resolved through talks. She also stressed the need for talks with Pakistan and the Kashmiri people for the resolution of the decades-long conflict. She said the BJP had betrayed the agenda of the alliance by pulling out of it. “PDP’s agenda for the state was the one for boosting reconciliation through the alliance, the BJP betrayed the same,” Mufti stated.
She added that muscular policy in a state like Jammu and Kashmir, or a policy backed by force (sakhti), cannot succeed. “Peace and reconciliation is the only way forward,” she noted. It is to mention that Kashmir has come under Governor’s rule on seven occasions before in the last four decades. It was for the fourth time that the state was placed under central rule during NN Vohra’s tenure as Governor. Vohra, a former civil servant, became the Governor on June 25, 2008.
This move of BJP government was widely criticized. Later the other fractions of leadership expressed serious concern over the imposition of governor rule in Jammu and Kashmir. The locals in Kashmir felt that this would further complicate matters. A lasting and durable solution can only be delivered through the exercise of the political will of the Kashmiris in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions or a UN mandated dialogue between Pakistan, India and the Kashmiris.
Kashmir has been used as “an experiment table” since last many decades. Some have even boldly acknowledged that “The Kashmir crisis is a comprehensive collapse of political leadership “.
OHCHR Report on Kashmir is first ever report of UN on gross violation of human rights, highlighted and debated in Indian as well as International Media. India rejected the United Nations report in which Indian ‘Government was held responsible for using excessive force to kill and wound civilians in Kashmir since 2016. The UN also called for an international inquiry into accusations of human rights violations. The unresolved status of Kashmir issue is somber reminder to the World that Kashmiri people are deprived of their fundamental Rights at the hands of so-called biggest democracy of the world. India must understand that it has militarily, failed to control Kashmir. A muscle approach will make the things more worse, only proper dialogue can bring the peace in Kashmir.
(The author is a political analyst and can be reached at [email protected]. Views are his own)
