Is there a Government in Kashmir now?

Professor Rattan Lal Hangloo
When day in day out the story of contemporary Kashmir is displayed by electronic and print media to the rest of the world, one is bound to ask oneself if there is any state or government functioning in Kashmir region. In mainland India democracy, global networks, world economy and above all digital world is talk of the day yet there is a region so neglected from all these things for past few months. Imagine life without emails and mobile connectivity in the main land India but here in Kashmir it is a reality that people are going through.
Good to blame Pakistan for this, but for thrusting the common Kashmiri into this kind of turmoil is also Kashmir’s own choice of having voted for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that ensnared itself into an alliance that has handicapped the region. After having gone through immense suffering during floods in the last leg of National Conference government, people voted with great enthusiasm for PDP with the hope that under new political dispensation in India the region was going to have a new dawn of development and provide a comprehensive economic engagement to people at different levels. But unfortunately Kashmir saw the longest period of curfew and virtual denial of democracy. Not only the schools and colleges and business remained totally shut but even in hospitals the old infirm and patients with different ailments followed a serious neglect that even the press forgot to report.

The present leadership in Kashmir has lost spine; it was really shameful to see a great fear on the face of the Minister Nayeem Akhter while he made couple of public appearances with police and probably military escort to appeal SAS Geelani to break the ice and help Kashmiris to transcend to normalcy. People are asking what is government doing; where is it when every day careers of young children in colleges and schools are cut short and they become demotivated. Such a state of affairs is very dangerous for future of Kashmir and also for rest of India. Even the eleventh century Sanskritist and chronicler Pandit Kalhana in his Rajatarangini has acknowledged that in Kashmir it is not by conquest or force that things can be sorted out but by discussion and persuasion. But maintenance of silence on the part of civilian government which is almost non- existing on such occasions amounts to facilitating the suicide of the region.
There are various questions being asked by ordinary Kashmiris in the street such as:
(a) For how long people can be held captive like this?
(b) What is the future of Kashmiris in such circumstances?
(c) What options are available to people?
(D) Why the Governor of State is silent; has he lost the will to serve the region?
(e) Should the government of India identify people with whom to dialogue?
(f)Why there is no intellectual investment in Kashmir policy if there is one?
The need of the hour is that the government of India calls all the regional political parties both ruling in alliance and opposition to have a threadbare discussion to provide an immediate relief to Kashmiris otherwise allowing such a war like situation to continue for long is not healthy for the region’s polity and the central government.
The issues of status of the region be it freedom, pre -1953 positions or self determination can all wait but not the children and young people who have lost three months of schooling and ailing people who require medical treatment on emergency basis. When India thinks Kashmir is integral part of India then Kashmir’s transition to normalcy and good governance should be top priority. Even in PDP government the credible leaders like Mr Muzaffar Beg, who has a clear perspective needs to come out. He should remember that solitude is the school of genius but then politically socialization also leads comprehensive understanding.

Author is Vice-Chancellor, Allahabad Central University