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July 03 to July 09 2017 : Weekly News Magazine
messenger POLITICS 25

approach to the situation in the state. “Truth is
that Kashmir is at the cusp of a fateful transition
and considering the ferocity of the protests, the
future looks ominous,” says Gull Wani, a
political scientist at Kashmir University, “The
situation calls for a sustained political process
On 17 October, J&K Government launched a booked under Public Safety Act. Besides, more rather than an exclusively military one. This
massive crackdown in old town Baramulla and than 300 employees have been identified for approach is the bane of post-colonial South
arrested more than 30 people. There were their alleged participation in the protest rallies or Asian states: dealing with insurgencies through
house-to-house searches in a throwback to found allegedly instigating the people. Five of military might and economic development
early nineties. The crackdown began at dawn the booked employees are of gazetted cadre, rather than political engagement. This only
and ended in the afternoon. Unlike the past, one of them from the University of Kashmir. protracts the problems rather than resolve
however, the people were not assembled at an them.”
open ground and put through an identification Forty employees alone are from the Department
parade before a masked informer in a security of Education and the others from Department of Though earlier on in the current strife, Prime
vehicle. The crackdown followed shortly after a Agriculture, Srinagar Municipality, Urban Local Minister Narendra Modi had promised a
Chinese flag was hoisted at a protest march, bodies etc. The Government has also sacked “permanent resolution of Kashmir within the
first such development in Kashmir Valley ever. 12 employees. framework of the constitution”, the subsequent
Incidentally, the waving of the flag coincided As the magnitude of the crackdown reveals, it is developments have lent little credence to his
with the start of the BRICS summit in Goa. The of an unprecedented nature. Hardly ever before words. In fact, there have been noises to the
joined Pakistani and Chinese flag was have the arrests been made on such a scale or contrary. Soon after, BJP leader and the party’s
emblazoned with the message: “Long Live so many PSAs slapped in such a short duration Kashmir point man Ram Madhav favoured
Pakistan-China friendship. Kashmiris are of time. Not even during the three successive tough action to control the upsurge. At the same
waiting for your help China”. unrests until 2010. Or for that matter in the time, he made it clear that the centre doesn’t
nineties when Valley teemed with around seek a political solution to Kashmir, unwilling
The surfacing of the Chinese flag has surprised 20,000 militants. “This has never happened even to consider autonomy. According to him,
many a people in Kashmir. Though Pakistani before,” says Naseer Ahmad, a local columnist. there was enough freedom and enough laws to
flags are a common sight in the protests in “If anything, this shows how government has help J&K. Madhav also termed the talk of a
Kashmir, Chinese flag has never been a part of resolved to address the situation through force political solution to Kashmir “romantic in
any Kashmir rally before. The authorities only”. nature”.
responded with a swift ‘90’s-style crackdown to So far, the disproportionate use of force has
arrest the people allegedly responsible for taken an unconscionable toll: 93 deaths, around However, as the unprecedented outpouring of
hoisting the flag and prevent the prospect of 500 blindings and 14000 injured. After the visit the anger over the past three and a half months
more such flags cropping up in future protests. of the All Party Delegation in September, which shows, a Kashmir left politically unattended by
Though, there has been no fresh hoisting of the ended up in a damp squib with separatist and New Delhi and at the mercy of its security
Chinese flag, the protests across Valley have civil society groups boycotting it, the centre has establishment, could very well be beyond repair.
continued, so have the arrests. Across Kashmir, shown itself loath to start a new political Though considering the depth of alienation now,
police has arrested more than 7,000 people, outreach. centre was expected to extend any political
around 4,000 of whom are from the four districts According to observers, the harshness of the hand, it has done anything but that.
of South Kashmir — Kulgam, Pulwama, security response betrays New Delhi’s
Anantnag and Shopian. Around 483 have been “obsessive preoccupation” with the military