Kashmir’s tryst with trials…

By: Hittu Saluja

The state that is ruled by the politics of separatism, infiltration and these days by the politics of clemency for a terrorist has just completed its one-year of Congress CM`s rule. The occasion may not be special in the case of the rest of the states of India but for Jammu and Kashmir, it’s rhetoric. This has happened after a long gap of 30 years of Kashmir’s life since Mir Qasim made way for Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah. Politically speaking, a national party like Congress has always lost to regional forces in Kashmir. In this way, it was a real challenge for CM Ghulam Nabi Azad and his party. Ghulam Nabi Azad equally trusted by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, was sent to J&K as the Pradesh Congress Chief in 2001. In fact, Congress’ move in sending Azad bore fruit in the 2002 assembly elections in Kashmir. No one expected Congress to perform well enough to get 20 seats. But it could not form the Government on its own. Coalition is the present day mantra for such critical situations. Congress and PDP worked out a shared Chief-Ministership formula to run the state. As a result, PDP’s Mufti Mohammed Sayeed took the charge of the state and performed pretty decently for three years with his philosophy of “healing touch” and wooing tourists and visitors to boost the tourism industry. Power politics, however, took precedence in the tumultuous state last year, when a major 7.6-magnitude earthquake ruined several villages in Kashmir valley and took more than 1400 lives. Nearly 40,000 homes were destroyed rendering 1,40,000 people homeless, but Congress chose to fulfill its political aspirations by taking away the chief ministership from Sayeed and installing a Congressman at the helm. Azad broke the tradition by becoming the first J&K CM not from the valley. He belongs to a small village of Soti in Doda district of Jammu region. Jammu got its first CM and one who was bold enough to declare: “The return of Pandits is essential for Kashmiriyat.” But the Congress is yet to seriously consider the proposal for an Autonomous Development Council to address the community`s aspirations, something that has been a long-standing demand of Kashmiri Pandits. Azad government has also received flak for the tardy rehabilitation and insufficient aid to victims of the deadly quake. 300 families are yet to receive the first installment of aid for rebuilding their damaged homes. People living in relief camps are still worried about their future. The government has not made adequate arrangements to tackle the piercing cold in the coming winter. “God willing, next year, Government will focus on the infrastructure in the quake-hit areas,” Azad remarked at a function to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake, tacitly acknowledging that there is still a lot to be done to bring life in the Valley back on track. Azad’s first year in office was also rocked by an unlikely scandal. A sex scam in the Valley did not just shake the corridors of power but also stained bureaucrats, police and paramilitary officials. This embarrassed the government as it spilled onto the streets of Kashmir in the form of violent protests and demonstrations. To his credit, Azad gave a ready assent for a CBI inquiry into the Kashmir sex-gate despite the fact that it threatened to consume a few bigwigs in the process. It must be mentioned that the scandal had surfaced earlier a couple of years back, but was brushed under the carpet by the officers concerned. Azad’s efforts should be seen as a noble attempt to undo this convenient miss. Terrorism is the sad reality of Kashmir that every CM has to deal with. Azad’s first year in office was no different. Although Congress govt, both at the Centre and state, maintained that this year the violence has reduced in J&K and that certain elements are making ‘deliberate attempts’ to play up ‘stray incidents’ in the valley. But the fact of the matter is that over a 100 grenade explosions have killed more than 45 people including 10 security personnel and injured 450 till the middle of the year. If last year the car bomb explosions terrified Kashmiris, this year the wailing valley had to cope with grenade attacks. Interestingly, Azad himself told the state legislature in August this year that so far over 57000 grenades had been seized from the militants by security forces. He said, “You can well imagine how many grenades must still be in the possession of the militants.” Tourism was the main focus of the Mufti government and it was severely hit last year due to many attacks on tourists and pilgrims. CM Azad has been candid in admitting the impact of terror on tourists visiting the state. He said, “At the beginning of the ongoing season, 6000 to 7000 tourists arrived daily in the valley, which helped to a large extent in restoration of normal activities. But, the militants targetted tourists resulting in a significant drop in tourist arrivals which have come down to 400 to 500 per day.” The diplomatic weather in Delhi and Islamabad changed quite erratically during Azad’s one year in office. 7/11 rocked Mumbai and echoed miles afar in the valley, as the peace process with Pakistan almost came to a halt. Indo-Pak talks resumed during the NAM Summit. Consequently, the valley once again blossomed with high hopes of peace and brotherhood. But Azad’s initiatives to fillip the peace process have not yielded much results. He promised to respond positively if militants maintain peace during Ramzan but it could not happen this year. He further took initiative to show the government’s willingness to talk to separatists. But despite all the talk on the peace front in Kashmir, there has been little action worthy of being added to the CM’s political resume. Amidst these efforts in bringing in normalcy, PDP emerged with its wish for ‘self-rule’. It was not only rejected by CM but also shunned strongly by the Governor, SK Sinha. “There is talk of introducing self-rule in Kashmir these days without defining its contours. To me, democracy and self-rule are synonymous,” Sinha exclaimed.But Azad government’s real test came as he inched closer to his first anniversary as the state’s new CM. Kashmir once again put Delhi in a state of remorse this September. The Supreme Court’s verdict of death sentence for Afzal Guru in 2001 Parliament attack case inflamed protests on the streets of Srinagar. Kashmiris pleaded for pardon for Afzal in the case. The summer capital of the state witnessed violent protests and demonstrations justifying their unjustified and panic-stemming quotes reading, “Don’t repeat Maqbool Bhat (JKLF founder) by hanging Afzal Guru.” Azad almost added fuel to the fire by supporting the demand for clemency. It is only recently, that he took a U-turn saying, "I never sought clemency for Afzal, but I didn`t deny the reports because I had to run a state". But as per a news report on September 30, 2006, he called PM to seek Presidential pardon for Afzal Guru. Azad’s handling of the crisis didn’t reflect the maturity that the seasoned Congressman has been known for. In the days to come the Azad government will be put through many such litmus tests, as the political temperature in the state is high, with a strong lobby of separatist groups more than willing to fish in troubled waters. Azad’s big challenge is to nurture the pro-Indian politics while coping simultaneously with the anti-India politics and anti-Delhi politics along with the woes of the coalition at the same time. Uneasy, but certainly not an unexpected challenge for the head that wears the crown of thorns.