Symptoms of an uneasy summer

The fresh spurt in militant attacks amid COVID-19 lockdown by all standards of understandabilities is an indication of yet another uneasy summer in Kashmir. Till last year the central government used to blame both the mainstream and as well as the separatist politics for the failures in Kashmir but today blame directly lies on the Narendra Modi led central government which exercises direct control over the Jammu & Kashmir Government now. In a hostile security atmosphere counting the casualties and achievements has taken government nowhere nearer to restoration of normalcy in Kashmir as the prolonged detentions of the political leaders resulting in total political disconnect at the grass roots has not brought any perceptible change on the ground. A silent dissent in the absence of political leadership if not allowed could prove more dangerous than the rise in militant attacks. Unbridled authority to a small bunch of bureaucrats in the presence of virtually suspended recruitment process is deepening the crisis of alienation in Kashmir and the public disillusionment by all standards of understandabilities won’t reduce but increase the security challenges for the government in the present hostile security atmosphere. Since the handholding of youth has always a bearing on the security situation Kashmir, better it would have been for the government to keep in abeyance all the measures taken on rights of the people over government jobs and fresh industrial promotion initiatives in Jammu & Kashmir till the take over by a popular government through a genuine and legitimate election process .
Unless and until the central government does not embark upon an agenda of bureaucratic disengagement in the revival of political process and youth engagement, the security challenges would continue to give sleepless nights to the Modi Government.
A controversial domicile law and confusing decisions over the key appointments in key government recruiting bodies are all the measures taken against the spirit of reconciliation in Kashmir. Offensive measures always evoke offensive responses and give politicians an opportunity to exploit the situation for the furtherance of their own motives. Neither the offensive measures against politicians like detentions under stringent public laws nor the provocative measures connected with the government recruitments and industrial promotions processes can reduce the security challenges for the government in Jammu & Kashmir directly controlled by the Narendra Modi led central government in Delhi. To reduce the security pressures mounting on the government due to unprecedented rise in the frequency of the militant attacks, the focus has to be on the involvement of youth in both the political process and as well as the recruitment and industrial promotion initiatives. Unless and until the central government does not embark upon an agenda of bureaucratic disengagement in the revival of political process and youth engagement, the security challenges would continue to give sleepless nights to the Modi Government.