Prof. AN Sadhu
Jammu and Kashmir has been going through a process of transformation right from the day of independence. The state had different circumstances to deal with at the time of partition. The factors that might have been weighing in the mind of the then leadership may be thought of as under
* A political arrangement, in line with its historical evolution under the impact of Sufism and rishi culture.
* An economic arrangement capable of bringing about a significant transformation on the development front without violating its natural endowment and scenic beauty.
* An overall arrangement to give access to the global community to the paradise on Earth without restrictions.
These must have been the factors weighing with the emerging leadership as also with the Maharaja who was a great reformist and nationalist. Tribal raid or no raid, the Maharaja would, in all situations, have taken the only decision to accede to Indian Union to feel assured that J&K’s ethos of religious co-existence and social harmony will be protected and nurtured in secular India.
The J&K, therefore, needed a comprehensive programme of transformation to ensure its political stability, to lubricate its wheels of economic development and to promote its tourism on a global scale. The state of J&K had an additional advantage to offer spiritual abode to sages and scholars across the globe.
The historians will recognise and record that had Pakistan not engineered the tribal assault with the tacit support of its army, the history of J&K would have been differently recorded after 1947. The transformation of the state witnessed several phases before 2019 political developments. Sheikh Abdullah raised the slogan of ‘Naya Kashmir’ as a new politico-economic domain capable of providing a stable political arrangement on the one side and ensuring promising economic transformation on the other. He wanted to achieve it through autonomy model which after his return to power in 1975, was modified slightly to provide for regional autonomy as well. The model did not find favour at the top level because of varied national considerations. The transformation model was carried forward by the political arrangements after 1953, in a more relaxed environment based on liberal support from the centre and its acceptance by the people and almost by all shades of political opinion for the reason that this arrangement did provide some autonomy to the state under the Constitutional provision of Article 370, even when it was substantially diluted over time. This model did bring about political stability on the one hand and economic development and social harmony on the other, while simmerings of political differences were also witnessed, though on a mild scale and in a veiled manner. The present government adopted the fuller and final integration model since August, 2019. The Article 370 was abrogated and the status of the erstwhile state was reduced to that of a union territory and another UT was carved out by dividing the state. In a very hurried manner, all central government laws were sought to be implemented. Under this model the slogan of building ‘Naya Kashmir’ was raised afresh. The political gains of the NC, Congress, and PDP vis-à-vis the promised ones assured by the BJP Government were highlighted to arouse the confidence among the electorate, in the possibility of realising the real gains under the current regime. To draw a balance sheet, a careful critical analysis is warranted. This balance sheet will take the following factors for assessment before declaring it favourable or otherwise i) political, ii) social, iii) economic.
On political front, this has brought home that J&K is an inalienable part of the country as any other state or union territory without having any disputable or special status. There will be unrestricted movement of Indian citizens to and from J&K and anybody may enjoy same rights in J&K as in other regions. The state’s natural resources including its land, can be used for trade, setting up of industries, business establishments and even residential units by any person holding the Indian citizenship. The political destiny of J&K will be tied with the national political environment enabling the implementation of all union laws uniformly across the Union Territory. Notwithstanding the methodology used to bring about this transformation it has definitely yielded positive results, may not be up to the expected level. The neighbouring country, Pakistan’s oft repeated dispute on J&K has been reduced to an insignificant footnote in history. All said and done, the question remains, has the Dil and Dilli Ki Duri vanished or at least reduced to a sizable extent. Does the ground situation manifest it. The claims are made that normalcy has returned and terrorist activities have reduced significantly. There are different yardsticks to assess the normalcy factor. Yes, the frequency and ferocity has gone down but occurrence is there. The outlook has changed and a phenomenal rise in tourist inflow was witnessed during the last year. But does it need to be seen from the point of view of economics or politics.
The common man has been watching the developments of last four years from a social point of view as well. It is ultimately, the social awakening that stabilises and strengthens the change, be it of any kind. The Valley witnessed the exodus of largest minority of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir, that has 5000 years of history behind it as the aborigines of Kashmir valley; they still live away from their homes and hearths. Their children recruited under PM package had to run away from there to save their lives after one of their colleagues was martyred in his office itself. No worthwhile social effort was made to protect these employees from selective killings because of the threat that the agents of change will have been facing for themselves. Even the Kashmiri Hindus who stayed back in 1990 are restive and fear-stricken. To restore social harmony and religious brotherhood some assertive social initiatives should have been launched. The Government should have on its own launched some confidence building measures by promoting inter-community dialogues. The Government even did not pass the Kashimiri Hindus Temples and Shrines Bill to protect the community’s religious and social heritage.
On the economic front there are reports that investment of some substance has been committed but its operationalisation is yet to be seen. The problem of unemployment and inflation is as serious as in rest of the country.
There is definitely optimism in the air that J&K’s transformation to Naya Kashmir will take place; how soon, nobody knows. Economy, polity and society should move together to bring about a change. It needs a comprehensive exercise, not to highlight the past mistakes but to underline the promising features of a new dispensation aimed at bringing about comprehensive transformation of J&K in all respects. The place, alone, is not important. More important than that are the people. The need is to reach their head and heart with some convincing explanations to win their confidence for the Naya Kashmir that is thought to be built to restore to Jammu and Kashmir to its pristine glory. The Kashmiri Pandit will be a catalyst in this exercise, therefore restoring him to his rightful place with dignity and security is of utmost importance and urgency. Jammu has always played an important role in maintaining political and social stability in the Union Territory. Jammu is rich in men and material resources which need to be developed to transform J&K into a viable economy. Jammu must get a fair deal in any emerging politico-economic set up.
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