Siege in Kashmir marked by the crackdown on separatists and withdrawal of security and accommodation facilities to mainstream leaders shows the intents of the Modi government to take avenge from Kashmiris ahead of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in the country. Not to talk of separatists known for being ideologically indifferent to the central government’s stand on Kashmir issue but the mainstream politicians who used to beat drums of parliamentary democracy have not been only denied an opportunity to return to the power corridors of the state through ballot as they are seeing themselves pushed to the wall by the governor’s administration on the whims and wishes of the incumbent central government. Instead of creating a congenial atmosphere for conduct of free and fair assembly elections to ensure early restoration of popular rule in the state the Modi led BJP Government at the centre is blocking all kinds of political activities in Kashmir and offering laxity to the anti-Kashmiri forces in Jammu where violent mobs recently continued systematic attacks on Kashmiris for about a week to the extent of forcing them to flee to Kashmir for the security and safety of their lives.
A strong political response from Kashmir’s mainstream parties is required to end the unwanted political, administrative, constitutional and institutional interventions of the central government. The cause of concern in the present situation is the tendency of the Narendra Modi led BJP Government to use Kashmir as a trump card for the furtherance of the causes of the electoral prospects of the saffron party.
The additional deployments are though expected for the election related security arrangements but never and never the government can take the liberty to intensify the nocturnal raids for arresting the separatist leaders and changing populated areas into military garrisons. Unfortunately the mainstream leaders like PDP President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Sajad Gani Lone a former minister and an erstwhile strong ally of BJP in Kashmir are crying over the arrests of the separatists and heavy deployments of the central forces forgetting their own role in endorsing the policy of arrests and excessive deployment of paramilitary forces while running a government in alliance with BJP for about three years. Unless and until the Kashmir’s regional mainstream parties don’t tend to strike a common chord over the political response to the political , constitutional , institutional and administrative interventions of the central government on issues concerning the boiling political sentiments in Kashmir, the policy of sieges and excessive militarization pursued by the successive government will continue to haunt Kashmiris . A strong political response from Kashmir’s mainstream parties is required to end the unwanted political, administrative, constitutional and institutional interventions of the central government. The cause of concern in the present situation is the tendency of the Narendra Modi led BJP Government to use Kashmir as a trump card for the furtherance of the causes of the electoral prospects of the saffron party.
