Rahul Sharma
Shujaat Bukhari: Editor-in-Chief of Rising Kashmir, a veteran Journalist to whom I felt connected through his works was shot dead in a brutal manner, has left many questions unanswered. Bukhari was an independent journalist, a rational thinker, who condemned terrorism and was an optimist voice favouring dialogue and reconciliation, an exception in present scenario of news room-debate-journalism, where citizens are labeled as nationalist and anti-nationalists for their subjective viewpoints.
This cannot be seen as a killing of an individual journalist but an attempt to snub the freedom of press, a democratic voice that could be of immense contribution to address the youth in conflict zones and for paving a road of peace prosperity and development. Albeit in its extremist form but it is the same mentality that killed Gauri Lankesh and is threating other Journalist across the Country, be it through online trolling or organized bullying. Freedom of Speech and Expression is not subject to the might of bullet and it’s the State’s prime responsibility to protect the sacrosanct right of the individuals.
Coming to the Context of Kashmir, last year a statement came from the side of a Central leadership that militancy is at the last phase in Kashmir. But ground reality is speaking something else. Time has come to retrospect whether the PDP-BJP alliance was for some solution or just a power-pact to somehow stretch the duration of Government. The answer is apparent and certainly in the present precarious phase the development mantra is not the only solution for Jammu & Kashmir.
Time has come to rethink Centre’s seriousness and commitment qua peace initiatives with respect to the Kashmir issue. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a statesman and visionary, who gave doctrine of peace, progress and prosperity keeping in view the spirit of Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat, was open-heartedly welcomed across the party lines and even by hardliners in the valley. The Vajpayee’s doctrine, a far sighted peace initiative has not faded away from the memories of peace loving rational thinkers. History gives the testimony that ‘Cord of Dialogue’ could not lose its strength even after set-backs of Kargil, parliament attack or further terrorist attacks, such was his commitment for ensuring peace in the region dialogue. Thereafter came the decade of UPA 1 and 2 but unfortunately the peace momentum set by Vajpayee faced the friction of new leadership and could not yield anything substantial. Post Amaranth violence, an interlocutor committee was formed in 2010 and the report suggested measures amongst others review of AFSPA, talks with various groups setting of constitution committee, regional councils separately for Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir but again the report could not see the light of the day and as expected got a cold shoulder.
The return of NDA with decisive mandate in 2014 again raised high hopes across the political and non-political factions for the revival of Vajpayee’s Doctrine and even to some extent PDP-BJP alliance was seen a step in right direction to bring peace in the region.
The four years of NDA also failed to address the core of the issue and the situation grew from bad to worse. People to people interaction, dialogue and interaction with all groups, healing touch with the object to ensure peace remained at backfoot.
Without seeing the idea of dialogue through the prism of one’s nationalism, time has come to answer what this alliance has done to minimize the divide. Vajpayee’s doctrine was invoked umpteenth times at political stages by the partners-in-alliance but just to receive momentary accolades and now is seen as political rhetoric. In four years it became apparent that Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP has compromised ‘healing touch’ over its extended Political Survival, particularly when there is no one in the center to carry forward Vajpayee’s formula on Kashmir. May be to expect revival of Vajpayee-like-Statesmanship is a sanguine fantasy, at the time when the stalwarts of Vajpayee’s time are resting in marg darshak mandal and veterans in opposition are busy in collecting the scattered fragments of opposition unity. Resultantly amidst partisan priorities and coalition compulsions Kashmir issue remains ignored.
Shujaat Bukhari, a voice that could be of immense contribution to narrow down communication gap that Valley and Center is facing due to dialogue deficit was silenced by the opponents of peace, but the ideology of the person shall always be invoked whenever political-will is generated with a fresh hope for the revival of peace initiative.
Cutting across the party lines situation demands the collective responsibility to save the pen from bullet as in this growing democracy people still believe that ‘Pen is mightier than sword(bullet)’. Let’s not forget ‘Rising Kashmir’ rose again within hours with further edition even without its editor-in-chief, this spirit of freedom and democratic voice need protection.
Clement Atlee once said ‘Democracy means Government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people ‘talking’, herein I would say ‘tweeting’ as a peaceful world outside social media is a priority now. Real tribute to veteran journalist shall not be limited to Condemnation and RIP notes on Social media rather a dialogue approach be adopted to address the Kashmir issue before it is too late.
(The author is an Advocate-on-Record in Supreme Court)
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