Unworkable fractured political ideas in Kashmir

Any approval of the central government to the formation of any new political arrangement without ending the detention of top mainstream leaders particularly three former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti would be yet another severe blow to democracy in Jammu & Kashmir. Detentions of political leaders without charges have been condemned even by European envoys who recently visited Jammu and Kashmir for assessing the ground situation. The central government’s plans to give political legitimacy to a group of former ministers and legislators deserting National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress is overtly and covertly an attempt to encourage the politics of splits in Jammu & Kashmir. The imposition of any new political formation over the people of Jammu & Kashmir against their whims and wishes would be yet another provocative measure of the central government likely to trigger huge public resentment in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu province. The scrapping of Article 370 has not been received with contempt only by the mainstream political parties but by the majority of the populations siding with the ideas of mainstream politics in Jammu & Kashmir. The challenge for the central government is to restore the faith of the people in the working of the government presently run by a team of retired and serving top bureaucrats.
After pushing through unilateral controversial legislations on August 5 last year in Parliament which scrapped special status and bifurcated a full fledged state into two union territories, the central government can’t impose a political formation of its own choice over the people of Jammu & Kashmir without taking on board all stake holders over the demands for statehood and domicile rights already raised by almost all the mainstream political parties.
The faith of the government can’t be restored by half hearted welfare measures but the political process has to be initiated with the release of all top mainstream leaders including three former chief ministers and restoration of high speed internet services. To ensure full participation of all political parties in any new democratic process, the central government has to give free political space to political leaders irrespective of their party affiliations. Release of leaders presently under detention, restoration of high speed internet connectivity and a categorical assurance for restoration of statehood and domicile rights are the measures required for the restoration of political activities in Jammu & Kashmir. The return of the political detainees to the political process for the purposes of the restoration popular rule would by all standards of understandabilities restore faith of people in the working of democracy and democratic institutions. After pushing through unilateral controversial legislations on August 5 last year in Parliament which scrapped special status and bifurcated a full fledged state into two union territories, the central government can’t impose a political formation of its own choice over the people of Jammu & Kashmir without taking on board all stake holders over the demands for statehood and domicile rights already raised by almost all the mainstream political parties.