Tinderbox of Insecurities

B L Saraf
Let us face it. Jammu and Kashmir is sitting on a volcano of insecurities of various dimensions and different intensity. Forget about the external dimension, situation within is deteriorating so fast that no one can predict what turn it will take. For sure, if corrective measures are not taken in right earnestness, it won’ be pleasant one. We are insecure – the destabilizing undercurrents are quite palpable. But, as told by the ancestors, life goes on. We do live – not by years or weeks but by minutes. Life just meanders on.
Even in the fleeting moments of living we feel so surrounded by the artificialities that we fail to sift ‘ real ‘from the ‘perceived’. Together, both have a deadly effect on our psyche. We truly live in an uncertain world.
Jammu and Kashmir is a microcosm of India where Kashmiris, Dogras and Ladhakis live in an amiable mix, though in different regions. State, as a one political and administrative unit, owes its existence to every section of the society. Dogra rulers, with their politico administrative acumen and valor, gave J & K a geographical and historical identity. They are the real founders of the State, as it stands today, with a slight vivisection suffered in 1947. Kashmiris added art, craft and intellect to its lustre Ladhakis have been guarding it on the North eastern side against all odds.
To the misfortune, today, every section of the society feels unsettled. Muslims in Kashmir have their causes to nurse a hurt feeling and suffer insecurity. They do have complaints against the Government of India but certain developments that are happening within the Valley have rattled them, no end. May be in a notion or in reality, ISIS is surfacing in the Valley giving a new dimension to their worry. What happened at Jamia Masjid Srinagar a few days ago is taken as a challenge not only to Mirwaiz but to the whole Muslim Community. But see where insecurity lies. When ISIS first surfaced in Kashmir Ali Shah Geelani and other separatists denounced it. But the denouncement appeared circumspect and low in tone. Some may dismiss it a sign of contradiction, as has been their attitude on many issues – but one cannot fail to notice the extent of insecurity people suffer in Kashmir on this account. Because nobody knows who may come calling next day. Then there is an ideological content and the stereotyped political rhetoric to be taken care of which confounds the situation.
The fear of gun and the trend of college going boys falling prey to the sectarian propaganda is another cause of worry in Kashmir. No wonder calls from Kashmir have started going to Syed Slahuddin, living in Pakistan, to stop this business of death and mayhem. To many people in the Valley, the ill trained young boys are proving cannon fodder” whose corpses are paraded as symbol of unity” without any purpose being served. Many concerned Kashmiris take this misadventure as” an invitation to the annihilation of youth”
People living in Jammu province have their own apprehensions to narrate. Those living in plains undergo a feeling that a siege has been laid around them with an intent to alter the demography. The fear is not totally unfounded. It must be said to credit of Jammu Dogras that they have taken into fold all kinds of people who descended on to the city and around. Their concern of being overwhelmed by the people coming from Myanmar, Bangladesh and beyond can’t be brushed aside lightly.
WP Refugees are roaming rootless in a state, denuded of the basic citizenry rights, where they have been living for 70 years. POK displaced have an uncertain future. Pandits, having been thrown out of the home, wander in exile in their own state and the country, with a demeaning suffix of ‘ Migrant ‘. All of them have justifiable claims of securing basic Human Needs and the Rights, and a care for the unattended sensibilities. Budhists in Ladakh and Shias in Kargil come up with their socio-political complaints.
No doubt the security scene continues to be threatened but the tale of social and political inequalities suffered by the people cannot bear neglect, anymore. Security agenda has to be enlarged, with a new definition and enlarged dimension. Gun may give us physical security but how can emotional and psychological safety be ensured for a common man? It can’t be restricted to one area or one community. The effort must be holistic. There is a lack of transparency in the matter of governance. That has deepened the mistrust and aggravated the sense of insecurity. What worsens the scenario is a notion of politics of protection which everyone believes in and, curiously, holds it against the other. How unfortunate we have a contestation on the insecurities, too. For that blame lies at the door of State whose time to time actions have cultivated the sense that has emphasized the contestations. It is for us not to act differently to the deprivations of one another, though ways to sort out one another’s handicaps may vary. It has to be borne in mind that unattended issues pose a common threat.
Whose security is one securing in the security policy and knowledge? Insecurities could be political and economical. It is up to the government to rearrange the situation and construct a proper and result oriented response. It is a real subject. There is no scope for too much of philosophy of knowledge to be employed to resolve the issue. We have to introduce claims of insecurity created by non- state actors also. They are specially critical and cannot be declared as a bye product of a political movement. The matter calls for a State – Centre vision of security. However, the desired security will make sense only when each section of the society, if not an individual, is made a primary referent.
Questions remain: why everyone in the state feels distraught?
Bomb is ticking!
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

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