KASHMIR- LONGSTANDING GRIEVANCES

by wilfredjohn | December 26, 2008 at 06:16 am

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An unusual story is being scripted by the people of Kashmir. The overall voting percentage of 61 per cent has not only confounded conventional logic, but it has also sufficiently enthused the Election Commission to dub the 2008 assembly elections as the “most credible” polling exercise to have been undertaken in the state. What inspires this confidence is the lack of allegations of State coercion that have almost invariably accompanied previous elections.

Although the secessionist brigade will continue to hold up this allegation as the best way to run down the success of any democratic exercise, there has been little to doubt the spontaneity of voters, who braved inclement weather and the threat of violence to cast their vote. Neither the sporadic violence, nor the Mumbai terror attack, which is supposed to have its roots in and draw inspiration from the peculiar circumstances in Kashmir, caused any substantial dip in voter enthusiasm.

Voters have been pretty clear in their minds about what they are seeking through the ballot. It was unexpected for the more ordinary issues of bijli, sadak, paani to have dominated their concerns, particularly after the Amarnath controversy, during which secessionists had worked so hard to remind them of the laudable and cherished ambitions of azadi. But the people of Kashmir, after years of hardship, fear and bloodshed, are unwilling to see azadi as a goal exclusive of the aspirations for a better life and living conditions. These they want fulfilled not by the occasionally fumbling and fawning Indian State, but by their own representatives who they can hold accountable.

A long-lasting peace in Kashmir is possible only if this maturing of voter perspective in the state is complemented by a mature response from the government to the subtle shift in local politics. It is unlikely that the dream of azadi will die soon. This dream is already being visualized and articulated by mainstream political parties in Kashmir, like the People’s Democratic Party and the National Conference among others, that either look at greater autonomy or self-rule within the Indian State structure as a solution to the Kashmir problem.

The government of India has to work with political parties and popular representatives towards evolving a shared vision of development for the people of the state. But the momentum in Kashmir will be lost if the government, for short-term political gains of its own, once again refuses to look the Kashmir problem in the eye and yields ground to the secessionists by downplaying the popular mandate and by overlooking the longstanding grievances that it voices.

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