Political trust holds key to national security in J&K

National Security in the  country is being  looked through a single-lens prism: threat posed by terrorism and how to counter it. This is urgency, because unless guns and grenades are taken out of the national space, no progress is possible. Jammu and Kashmir is a classic example of that. But there is something more than this. Unless a thorough study is made of the root causes, the gun cult or the idea of it will not disappear from the time and space in which we are living.

Talking in the current context of Kashmir, it is being given out that Kashmir has been secured from the demons who wanted to separate it  from the country, but there is an instant reminder that it is still under threat. So, there is an obvious gap between the two perceptions. This also shows that though lot has been done much more remains to be done.

First of all the nation needs to be told that Kashmir is a national security issue, but it is not the only issue. And there is need to have a multi-pronged approach in tackling this scourge. That should take the policy makers to study how the guns came to the Vale, an  iconic symbol of peace and beauty for decades before Pakistan could succeed in doing what it did from late 1980s onwards. This is not an academic issue, it is politically and strategically very important issue. No one can turn back on it. This study is necessary to understand the dynamics of the troubles which the Valley underwent for more than three decades.

In the present context, when there is an all-round celebration that Jammu and Kashmir had the most successful and peaceful elections in decades, the responsibilities too should be understood and analyzed with extreme care and that too without any bias.

It is the responsibility of the whole of the nation to save and protect  sanctity of these elections. At this point in time, it is at the core of the national pride. This phenomenon  did not come about just because the Supreme Court ordered it on December 11, 2023, there is much more than that. The people and the political parties had been asking for it for long  because of  twin concerns: J&K was without any elected government for more than six years, and that continuation of direct Delhi rule in such a sensitive territory presented not so pleasant realities about the situation despite high-profile optics of big national and international events and windfall of tourists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah  were keen to translate these optics  into reality in which people find themselves taking their own decisions through their elected representatives. In a democracy, elections are not an end, these are means for achieving a larger goal. However, in J&K, the elections  were not short of a big milestone. That was so because of the purity of the whole exercise.

The genesis of the elections 2024 needs a bigger focus and understanding. All the elections in J&K, especially  since 1987, only kept the psyche of the conflict alive in many forms and manifestations. If 1987 poll is blamed for rigging and triggering firestorm of militancy, all other elections that followed – 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014- did not help in dousing the flames of unrest deeply associated with the conflict.

The 2024 election, hailed as historic achievement  because of the circumstances in which it was held, came as a turning point. It was a high-stake election for the nation, perhaps as much in importance as the general elections. The whole of the nation was watching it with bated breath. Any misstep or anything having gone wrong would have brought a lifetime stigma. This has to be  seen in the context that violence and disruptions in the previous elections were a given,  as the elections  could not be separated from the very idea and action of conflict.

The 2024 had to be different, and different it was. That’s why the Ministry of External Affairs brought diplomats to tell the world that Kashmir has fully  integrated  into the Indian democratic system. There were no ifs and buts.

Security forces had put a lot of hard work to  set up a situation trouble-free, enable the population, and in particular, voters to participate in festival of democracy. The elections also were manifestation that all the good work that the government of India had put up in J&K, to respect people’s call for vote.  This particular democratic exercise  was a big accomplishment of and for the national security.

The huge participation of the electorate was a reflection of their aspirations  and huge expectations. They had not voted for the statistics to be counted in number of votes and to fit into the narrative that they have done what was considered nigh impossible. They wanted their elected representatives to deliver. And, in the current situation, they clearly need government of India’s help in all spheres and adequate space to work. It is the combined responsibility of the elected government, and the opposition within J&K  as that of the Centre.

The J&K government would do better to reach out to opposition with a big heart. That big heart approach is also expected of the Centre  for the elected government. Both these approaches  are necessary to consolidate the national security. The friction between the ruling  and the opposition parties in Kashmir is a recipe for troubles. The whole of J&K’s history since 1947 is dotted with such ugly instances, which resulted in unrest and the violence. Pakistan took full advantage of it.

The 2024 elections threw political outcome on the similar lines as these did  in 1983 and 2014. The 1983 mandate  was consumed by the confrontation between the Congress-ruled Centre and National Conference–ruled J&K. NC had won big in Kashmir and Congress in Jammu  Alternatively,  a pragmatic   experiment  of respecting mandate of two  major regions of the state in 2014  did not last long as trust deficit  and headline grabbing  politics  outplayed the pragmatic approach. The collapse of trust between two alliance partners helped inimical forces to flourish.

There is a lesson: past mistakes  should not be repeated. Kashmir and Delhi need to think of ways to keep the matters smooth  The option  of courting  the past experiments  is portentous. BJP,  as opposition in the UT deserves respect for the mandate it has got. That mandate from the Hindu heartland of Jammu should be seen as a virtue  by the party leadership and not a mandate to fight the government that is not of its choice. If it has not been able to get what it called Jammu-centric government  doesn’t mean that it should be looking for alternate routes to rule  or run a parallel government. It should make virtue out of its mandate and get the issues of its constituents addressed  with assertion that its mandate has given it but looking at the larger national interest. Debate and discussion is the best option.

Congress had attempted to rule via alternate means in 1983. What it did in July 1984 by dismissing the NC government was the biggest assault on the national security. The outcome of the 1983 polls had promoted the idea of compromises in 1987. What happened thereafter is part of the history.

And, as far National Conference Government is concerned, it should not be shy of Kashmir-centric tag  if it can start working for welfare of the people of both the regions  in a fair manner. Granting three ministerial berths to the region is good, but involving BJP – the party with a huge mandate from Jammu region and the recipient of  highest percentage of votes – will be better. Let there be a convergence of the two centric approaches into J&K-centric attitude.

Delhi should be happy with that and extend all political and  financial help to J&K that it needs. That is at the heart of the national security. That would also be a reward for the nation to create a united political force against the designs of enemy seeking to threaten the national security. Trust is foundational.