Sheikh Arshid Ahmad
World is facing ungenerous populism, this phenomenon remains poorly understood by common people. Election results tell us whom the voters choose, and exit polls may begin to tell us why. Voters try to understand what their votes are saying and purposely they vote to elect representatives for development process, but an important question remains people are losing faith in the representatives they elect. People in established democracies still overwhelmingly prefer democracy as the best form of government, but significant portions of the people in many advanced democracies are open to authoritarian alternatives. In past few years people in many advanced democracies like the idea of having “a strong leader who does not have to bother with Congress and elections” adults around the age of 30 endorse that option . In some countries few people love to have the army rule but threats hitt them continuously.
Most of people still support democracy overwhelmingly as the majority of people preferably choose to exercise their rights under this democracy. Not only this but main features of democracy such as free and fair elections ,Justice ,Good Governance , respect for fundamental and democratic rights like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom are properly planned and exercised. India is the largest democracy in the world but it has to face maximum challenges that need to be tackled in order to ensure true democracy. These challenges may include social and economic inequalities, poverty and unemployment, Illiteracy and ignorance, casteism, communalism, population explosion, regionalism, corruption etc.
India needs to develop new proposals to reform democracy. Law plays important role in political reformation and may help to prevent wrong practices and encourage good ones. But mere legal changes alone do not help as the changes in laws may sometimes prove counterproductive and may result into negative impact on society. The most threatening challenge to India is ispute of Kashmir. The Indian Govt has to provide a watch dog to keep proper vision over the rise of militancy but the Kashmir as disputed terrority throws up a new challenge to central Government. Militancy started from 1988 and Indian army started to curb the situation and hundreds and thousands of innocent people got killed till date. Since lat three years the militancy in Kashmir is spreading its wings and it has become uncontrollable for the Indian govt to muzzle the voices of Kashmir. For government it has become difficult to douse the flames of public anger and militancy and lot of money is spent over the army expenses .
Most importantly Indian government faces criticism and condemnation from human rights organizations across the world. Right to Information Act is the best example that serves as a watchdog against abuse of democratic principles especially in Kashmir. Some of the measures that are taken to sustain a true parliamentary democracy in India and but Indian Government fails to sustain it. Elective representatives of Kashmir don’t raise the voice of kashmiri people before the central Government as they know it is the indigenous issue and issue needs to be sorted out. Promising heavens at election rallies generates hopes in Kashmir but failing to keep their promise people in power face adverse situations and ironically the unabated continuing killing spree is not controlled yet. The politicians tend to follow the practices of usual political appeasement than to raise voices of dissent before the central government for their own petty political interests. Kashmir dispute a political issue can’t be solved by fast pacing the development works here but by showing respect to the public sentiment.
The political leaders of Kashmir should also know about the new movement, led by the youths and try to bridge an interaction with the youths not by condescending. They are the voices and the future of Kashmir is an imperative and not in India’s interests. Talk to Hurriyat and find out an exalted notion about this dispute let all engage whoever is willing to engage. Keep it open for dialogue be for the region of Kashmir. This can be addressed only by talking to all three regions and even beyond; there are sub-regions even within these three regions today, with their own political outlook. There are new threats and there could be worst implications, especially on the next generation. Finally, let this initiative to be taken, open heartedly all politicians including other stakeholders to find out a permanent solution so that at least people will take a sigh of relief without fear.
(The author a freelancer is a reseeach scholar from Kuchmullah Tral. Views are his own)
