Record attrition in JK

THE year is yet to end but the number of security personnel losing their lives this year in Kashmir has touched a decadal high. Another soldier joined this list in the encounter on Saturday that also extracted a horrendous toll of civilian lives. Is there any end to the interminable cycle of violence? India’s security managers draw solace from the record number of militants killed and the demolition of their infrastructure. There can be hardly any beef in eliminating forces that are perpetuating a climate of fear and unsettledness with little desire to bring about normalcy.

But the story in the Valley is not just about terrorism. There is a large population that is sullen over New Delhi’s blindsiding of the human and political aspects of the problem. Last month’s Kashmir visit by a former Norwegian PM Kjell Magne Bondevik has come as a sliver of hope. It is no secret that South Block invariably vets such sensitive missions and it is significant that the last foreign dignitary to visit the Valley was almost five years back. The Norwegians do not dabble in peace efforts unless invited by all the parties, even though their past record has not exactly been a roaring success. The Centre’s concurrence to the visit marks a turnaround in its unyielding stand of blackballing anyone who sought to interact with the Hurriyat leaders.

The elephant in the room will be Pakistan, especially after Bondevik ruled out a solution without talks involving all the sides. India had walked into a diplomatic cul de sac when it refused to talk to Pakistan till terrorism continued in the Valley. The breakthrough on the Kartarpur corridor suggests a certain dilution of that position, especially after Central ministers attended the inauguration ceremony in Pakistan. Kashmir needs to go through a cycle of talks and elections to extract itself from the black hole of endless violence. The Norwegian and the Kartarpur initiatives are some straws in the wind that need to be explored.