Danish Agastam
The recent flurry of terrorist attacks in the election striven state of J&K in the past few days can be termed as a desperate attempt by the perpetrators of terrorism on the other side of the border to create an environment unsuitable for the conduct of the free and fair elections in the state. The motive is clearly to frighten the people who are coming out in great numbers to vote. Now, it is for us to decide whether we should succumb to the extremism of terrorists or gather the courage to strengthen the pillars of democracy in the state.
The state is suffering from many fundamental problems and the need of the hour is to deploy the machinery and the resources of the state to find the solution of these problems. The country has witnessed one of the robust growth rates in the previous decade but the state of Jammu and Kashmir was not able to reap the benefits of that growth. The reason for this can be attributed to the fact that Jammu and Kashmir did not contribute to the process of development and growth in the country. There is lack of manufacturing industry in the state. The state is one of the largest producers of horticulture products in the country and there is a high potential for the growth of food processing industry in the state. This could provide for the employment of the thousands of the unemployed youths in the state. It is this section of the demography that is attracted by the extremists and gives boost to the terrorism. Why not tap this section to give boost to the economy of the state. Another problem that the state is facing is the low literacy rate in the state. The current literacy rate in the state is 65.57 % which is 10% less than the national average of 74%. The dearth of quality education in the state renders our youth unemployable. The plight of higher education in the state is even more condemnable. There is not even a single institute of national repute in the state. The Universities of the state lack in the basic infrastructure and qualified faculty to provide our students with the quality education that could shape their future as well as that of the state. Those who are out of the formal academic system require vocational training to acquire the necessary skill to earn their living. But the lack of any such provision in the state has resulted in the large population of unskilled workers in the state who have no means to come out of poverty and life of desperation. Due to this lack of education, there is little or no awareness among the people due to which the state has performed miserably on the human development indicators. The biggest shame for the state is its poor sex ratio. Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the steepest decline in the sex ration in the country. It has dipped from 941 in 2001 to 859 in 2011. The fact which is more threatening is that the infant mortality rate in the state has decreased, which means fewer infant deaths per 1000 live births, and the overall sex ratio has also decreased. This clearly points to the selective abortions and preference to the fairer sex. The state is also worst affected by the menace of corruption. The infrastructure development in the state is also one of the poorest. The villages still lack in the road connectivity and the cities do not have any fly-overs. In the energy sector, there is a huge potential for hydro-electricity. But the state has been unsuccessful in harnessing this due to lack of political will and the resources. The share of the manufacturing sector in the economy of the state is very less. This would prove detrimental to the overall development of the state in the coming years. The biggest asset of the state is the tourism industry. The tourism sector, if properly developed, can prove to be major source of employment for the people and major source of revenue for the state. Adding to this whole plethora of problems, the state has been witness to the natural calamities like earthquakes and more recently floods.
These are the few major problems that the people of this state are facing. There are many more other issues that are needed to be addressed. It is high time now that the people of this state ought to introspect. They have to judge what they have achieved since the advent of terrorism and separatist politics and what they actually want. What the people of this state need is the overall development of all the sections of the society. It is the right of the population of Jammu and Kashmir to be part of the national prosperity and be witness to the growth and economic development that the other parts of the country are going through.
This could happen only if peace and harmony prevail in the state. The resources that are being spent to curb terrorism should be spent for the welfare of the people. The protagonists of terrorism are aware of the fact that if other industries are established in the state, their industry will close down. By looking at the high turnout in the election, they are frightened that the day is not far when they have to pack their bags move out to some other place to spread terror. The recent attacks are testimony to this fact. This appears to be last attempt by the terrorists to strengthen their base in the state as they have already weakened considerably. The conduct of free elections is sine qua non for any democracy.
A democratically elected government which enjoys the mandate of the people of the state is certainly not something which the pro-separatists want and the high turnout of people in the first two phases of the elections has frightened them. On the other hand this can also prove to be last chance for the people of this state to choose between development and disturbance. We have seen enough of this violence and bloodshed. Let us now look forward and work together for the progress of the state and mankind. It is time that we answer the bullet by the ballot. We should come out in even greater numbers and strengthen the future of our state by electing those candidates who could work towards the prosperity of the state. Let us take a pledge today that our children will be born in a place where peace and harmony prevail over sectarianism and hatred.
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