Kashmir Chaos: Leadership’s silence, people’s helplessness

The blame for continuing chaos in Kashmir lies less on the incumbent central government and more on the silent mainstream leaders including both the challengers of August 5 decisions including special status and as well as proponents of reconciliation with the post August 5, 2019 institutional and administrative measures. Ironically neither the challengers of special status nor the proponents of reconciliatory politics dare to challenge the hostile domicile law, provocative job policy, bifurcation of civil secretariat and allotment of mining contracts to non locals in Jammu & Kashmir. Though both the challengers of special status and as well as the proponents of the reconciliation with the post August 5, 2019 institutional and administrative arrangement have a common meeting ground on protection of land and job rights and controversial industrial investment policy, but they don’t muster the courage to throw legal challenges to either the controversial domicile law or the provocative job policy. The party of three MPs National Conference though commits itself to take cue from the August 4,2019 Gupkar declaration issued by majority of Kashmir mainstream parties from the Gupkar residence of National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, but Kashmir’s grand old party National Conference has reduced it’s political activities to press statements instead of intensifying it’s legal battle against the withdrawal of special status and J&K Reorganisation Act 2019 that divided the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state into two union territories. On the contrary the newly launched Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party which claimed to fill the political vacuum in the absence of other older mainstream leaders particularly National Conference and PDP has been deserted by the incumbent central government over the repeated promises on the fears of demography, domicile law and delimitation.
A silent mainstream leadership has finally left the people of Jammu & Kashmir in a state of helplessness and the onus lies mainly on National Conference and Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party which are pulling in different directions to allow the continuing political chaos to persist for some more time.
While the National Conference leadership does not dare to roll out the future plan of action even after the release of most of the mainstream leaders who were part of August 4,2019 Gupkar declaration , the Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party neither dares to embark on a protest plan against the central government for it’s backtracking on promises over demography, domicile law and delimitation nor musters courage to throw legal challenge to the key post August 5 measures particularly domicile law, delimitation and bifurcation of the civil secretariat. J&K Apni party is morally obliges to ponder over its failures on demography, domicile law ,delimitation, return of statehood and elections. A silent mainstream leadership has finally left the people of Jammu & Kashmir in a state of helplessness and the onus lies mainly on National Conference and Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party which are pulling in different directions to allow the continuing political chaos to persist for some more time.