LONDON: A former colonel of Indian army believes Kashmir continues to simmer, and even as Indian pilot walked free, four policemen died in an encounter with Kashmiri militants.Col Ajai Shukla, an expert in strategic affairs, defence and diplomacy, writes for the UK newspaper, The Guardian. Below are a few excerpts of his article:The wider story in a crisis with such potential devastation, involving, as it does, nuclear powers, is that the Modi government has launched a nationwide anti-Muslim agenda that regards Muslims as unpatriotic, Pakistan as a cunning and implacable foe and Kashmiri separatists as its willing tools.In the narrative of the ruling National Democratic Alliance, which Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist BJP has headed for almost five years, all violence in Kashmir is blamed on Pakistan. Yet the wellsprings of Kashmiri separatism are indigenous and sustained Indian mismanagement means Pakistan now needs to do little to keep Kashmir burning. Successive governments, including the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance that ran India from 2004 to 2014, are guilty of neglecting the province. However, Modi’s has made neglect into a strategy.Advised by Ajit Doval, a former intelligence chief who is now national security adviser, Modi seeks to tire out the Kashmiri resistance. This involves refusing to acknowledge the political root of the Jammu and Kashmir problem, treating it instead as a mere security issue that is best managed by giving the security forces a free hand.Kashmiri separatist leaders and the young people who come out on the streets at their behest are considered Muslim traitors, rather than the manifestation of a political problem that has to be discussed and resolved, not militarily crushed.Modi’s hard line on Kashmir and Pakistan dovetails conveniently with the BJP’s “Hindutva” ideology, which rests on the notion of a Hindu culture and civilisation and, therefrom, a consolidated Hindu vote bank. Towns, villages and campuses across Kashmir simmer with resentment at Modi’s encouragement, or at least toleration, of a profoundly anti-Muslim agenda. Young Kashmiris point to militant gau raksha (cow protection), initiatives such as ghar wapsi (reconversion to Hinduism), regulations preventing Muslims from praying in public and the “love jihad” bogey that propagates a narrative of Muslim men feigning love to Hindu women to convert them to Islam.There is an acute awareness of the discrimination faced by Kashmiri youth who seek work outside the state, such as difficulty in renting houses and even targeted violence after incidents such as the recent suicide attack. These anti-Muslim themes are reinforced by lack of economic opportunity and the absence of political engagement, which causes estranged young people to pick up the gun.Disappointingly, political dialogue, which would have acted as a safety valve, never began. Young Kashmiris point out that three Indian prime ministers held face-to-face negotiations with leaders of the separatist Naga insurgency, which has consequently stabilised. However, not one top Indian leader has talked to Kashmiri separatists, even though the conflict there has been far bloodier on both sides. The reason, it is commonly believed, is that Kashmiris are Muslims. In the politically conscious Kashmiri mind, this validates the “two-nation theory” that led to the creation of Pakistan.Kashmir remains a stain on India’s reputation that it must address. Initiating a political dialogue with multiple stakeholders in Kashmir – separatists as well as nationalists – would be a good way to start.
from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2TjtuNZ
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