Talking Kashmir

Being unpredictable, inconsistent and contradictory are qualities that Prime Minister Modi has made himself known for and these are reflected in his handling of various national issues — the latest instance being of Kashmir. In his Independence Day address Modi talked of Balochistan and PoK, and chose to utter not a single word on Kashmir, the omission was calculated and probably meant to hurt Kashmiri sensibilities. The government then appeared committed to letting the police respond to the angry adolescent protesters, hoping to tire them out and to hurt their families economically with long spells of curfew. The Prime Minister did not warm up to a request from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for a meeting and a possible intervention. 

Soon thereafter, however, Modi apparently had a change of heart. When a delegation of Kashmir’s opposition politicians called on him on Monday, the Prime Minister made an offer for dialogue — the first since the blinding and maiming of youth began after Burhan Wani’s killing on July 8. His mollifying words for the violence-hit came as a surprise but the impact would have been far greater had the conciliatory gesture been made from the Red Fort. How the Prime Minister, known for his effective stage performances, got the place and the timing wrong remains inexplicable. If the PM was indeed contemplating a policy change on Kashmir — from a tough administrative approach to a political dialogue — he forgot to convey this to his ministers. Only a day before, a usually dovish and reasonable Arun Jaitley turned hawkish on Kashmir and declared that stone-throwers were no “satyagrahis but aggressors”. 

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, meanwhile, is busy re-reading past recommendations of expert groups and trying old solutions — sending all-party and civil society groups to the Valley. He forgets the ground reality in Kashmir has changed drastically. Media reports say police stations remain shut in four districts of south Kashmir and leaderless mobs rule the streets. Mainstream and local politicians too have become irrelevant. The Centre has an obligation to nuance its politics and tactics in a manner so that the larger and long-term national interests are not irreparably damaged. Kashmir is too serious an issue to be reduced to an exercise in event-management.