Ceasefire in absence of engagement

Unilateral ceasefire announced by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh is though a welcome step but such a path breaking initiative won’t bring a perceptible change on ground till the time the Narendra Modi led government at the centre takes a bold initiative on political engagement with the top separatist leadership in Kashmir. Directing government forces not to launch operations but retaliate if attacked or situation warrants to use force to protect the lives of innocent people has conveyed a message that the Cordon and Search Operation much popularly called CASO has been put on hold for one month with the intents of giving the families of the militants to reconcile their sons as has been explained by Director General Police Dr S P Vaid in his response to the ceasefire announcement. Unilateral ceasefire in absence of a serious political engagement with both the top separatist leadership and as well as Pakistan won’t by any probability bring any perceptible change on ground and interestingly the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yaseen Malik have urged the Modi government to break the deadlock in the process of engagements both with the people of Jammu & Kashmir and as well as Pakistan government. Shockingly a day after the announcement of ceasefire against the militants in Jammu & Kashmir the cross border shelling has resulted in killings on both the sides of the divide in Jammu region and this is sufficient enough an indication that in absence of the resumption of bilateral dialogue with Pakistan no peace initiative can restore calm in Kashmir.
As has been experimented in the past also that restoration of peace in Kashmir is a tangled issue most of the strategic experts in Delhi also that for making the ceasefire a successful peace initiative in Jammu & Kashmir Pakistan the incumbent Modi government in Delhi has to keep Pakistan in the loop if it wants to restore peace and initiate a dialogue for permanent stability in Jammu & Kashmir. This time when the central government has announced unilateral ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir even a backchannel dialogue with Pakistan, talks with the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yaseen Malik. Just two days back when Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced suspension of anti-militancy operations in Jammu & Kashmir a media report that appeared in Delhi edition of Indian express quoted Pak army officials as saying that they are prepared to engage with India over all issues including Jammu & Kashmir. Interestingly very recently the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat too has spoken about the necessity of a political resolution for resolving the law enforcement crisis in Jammu & Kashmir. Keeping in view the increasing tendencies of the military leadership of both India and Pakistan for peace and dialogue over the continuing crisis in Jammu & Kashmir it can be said that moment to engage with both Pakistan and as well as the separatist leadership in Kashmir has come.