Fears of delimitation in Kashmir

The announcement of a delimitation panel for assembly constituencies in Jammu & Kashmir union territory in the absence of a popular government has triggered fears of regional and religious discrimination in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu region. Obviously the delimitation has to be on the basis of 2011 census and as such care has to be taken that fears of a demographic change triggered by the scrapping of special status and bifurcation of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state into two union territories don’t come true with the change in the proportion of representation of Kashmir and Jammu regions in the new assembly of Jammu & Kashmir union territory. Interestingly former Union Minister Saif Ud Din Soz in one of his recent statements has put the onus of responsibility for no change in the representation of Kashmir and Jammu regions in the new assembly of Jammu & Kashmir union territory on former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussian Beigh and Altaf Bukhari, the only two leaders from Kashmir seeking protection of land & job rights and application of article 371 to Jammu & Kashmir instead of demanding restoration of special status under article 370 and article 35 A. Whatever may be the arguments and counter arguments of the political stake holders in Jammu & Kashmir, the fact remains that central government has no scope to deny inclusion of the elected members of five Lok Sabha constituencies of Jammu & Kashmir in the recently announced delimitation panel for the purposes of showing respect to democracy as the five members of Lok Sabha constituencies are presently the only elected members of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Political wisdom demands that to absolve itself of the responsibility of any new delimitation initiative in Jammu & Kashmir, the incumbent central government leaves it for the new assembly of Jammu & Kashmir union territory to take a call on any change in the assembly constituencies that existed in the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state assembly as such a decision won’t necessitate the constitution of a fresh delimitation exercise to invite an unwanted controversy which could trigger protests on regional and religious lines in both the regions.
Better it would be for the central government to review its initiative on delimitation panel in view of the fears of regional and religious disintegration triggered by the announcement on delimitation of assembly constituencies.
As the fact remains that even people in Chenab valley and Pir Panchal areas of Jammu province have different views on delimitation of assembly constituencies than the people in other districts of the province like Jammu, Udhampur, Kishtwar and Samba, better it would for the central government not to touch the issue of delimitation till a new assembly is elected by the people of Jammu & Kashmir. It may be mentioned here that way back in the year 2017 the then MLA Banihal Vikar Rasool in one of his statements during the budget session in erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir assembly in Jammu had said “if Chenab valley does not get due share in development from Jammu region, it should be allowed to be part of Kashmir division as Srinagar is more accessible to people of Chenab than Jammu city, the winter capital”. Rasool’s statement itself is an indication of the dangers of a regional and religious divide in Jammu & Kashmir. So better it would be for the central government to review its initiative on delimitation panel in view of the fears of regional and religious disintegration triggered by the announcement on delimitation of assembly constituencies.