BY SAHIL TIKOO
Post abrogation of the article 370 we saw a drastic shift in Jammu and Kashmir, as majority of population of the valley were apprehensive about the unilateral decision of the central government.
The common thought among Kashmiris was the fear of losing special rights and privileges. Some feared reduction of jobs for their kids and some feared losing their land to outsiders. But what happened should be the matter of concern for the natives.
No doubt the state was in a shutdown mode for almost 6 months, but we should keep in mind that whenever such historic decisions have happened around the globe, we have seen destruction, civil chaos and decline in the overall development of the affected place.
Though the opposition and the regional political parties had previously warned of destruction but what happened in Jammu and Kashmir was totally opposite of that.
The valley did not witness any incident of stone pelting, chaos or blood bath of innocent youth which was frequent when the article 370 was in place.
There curfew and lockdown which followed the abrogation of article 370 ensued that no violence took place anywhere in the entire valley thus ensuring that the better good which followed prevailed.
A huge section of the rural population here is into farming and to save the crop from the pest they use pesticides, the abrogation of 370 has worked as the pesticide for uprooting the radicalization of our youth, the backdoor entry into educational institutions and administrative sections of the government, the indoctrination and the dynamic wiring of our kids towards a destructive future, inclination of our youth towards Pakistan sponsored terror groups, Friday protests and getting themselves killed in the name of so called Jihad. Our society should focus and work on the upliftment of our youth towards progress, self-independence and a positive future.
So, what happened post abrogation of 370? We stopped seeing curfews, dead bodies of our kids, blind innocents, negative impact on the local economy, snatching of lawful rights? Instead, we have seen a hope, a new dawn where we live our day-to-day life with dignity, where our youth is indulged in water sports, entrepreneurship programs, gender equality, avenues towards a better future, women empowerment, skill development and a lot more.
The central schemes are being implemented, the poor and the lower middle calls is getting its dues and rights which they were deprived of, the fundamental rights like water, electricity and road are reaching to the remotest of the villages.
We have seen Army, Police and all other government institutions working for the betterment of a common Kashmiri. We have seen development of our infrastructure, we have seen hospitals and honest administrative systems and policies in place, we have seen a system which is answerable to not only the elite but also to the common masses.
We have seen all the sections of the society be it, backward classes, refugees, tribal groups being empowered for a dignified way of life.
As a matter of the fact post abrogation of article370 and post Covid pandemic, the influx of the tourist in the valley had increased tremendously and an estimate of 13 Lac tourists, excluding 5000 foreigners have visited Kashmir in past 6 months alone, contributing in excess of 5000 Crores of economy and thousands of Jobs for the locals.
This has happened in Kashmir only, if we talk about other tourist destinations like Himachal, Ladakh or Sikkim, the average remains the same of the previous years.
So, what happened? The alignment of the valley with the rest of the country has strengthened, the image of rioting mob and the posters saying (Go India Go Back) have vanished, the bond of our fellow citizens with the people of valley has strengthened, the presence of Tricolor at multiple places in the valley and in the mind of people diminished the Anti-India mindset of the people.
As locals in Kashmir are living and experiencing a normal life and striving to make their lives better, Pakistan on the other side is hell bent to deprive Kashmiris a life of peace and dignity by sponsoring terrorism continuously.
So, the Pakistani proxy war comes to a two-point theory wherein on one side Pakistan wants us to sacrifice our kids and future generations for a battle which it has already lost and on the other side Modi wants our kids and future generations to prosper by indulging in peace debates and growth-oriented initiatives and realistic future goals.
Some of us still are hell bent on ignoring the positives coming our way instead are falling prey to the Pakistani tactics which has ruined our generations and will continue to ruin it no matter what.
This is the time we relook into our past and future, we relook our right doings and wrongdoings, we think sane for a period, and we analyze the shortfalls we had in the past and ensure we build a strong and positive future for our kids and the future generations to come.
This Pakistan sponsored proxy war is at the verge of dying and it is not taking us anywhere expect backwards. This is the time we truly stand behind our nation and our prime minister Shri Narender Modi so that we prosper globally as a nation and ensure that our kids live a life of dignity and integrity, hence achieving our goal of terror free Kashmir.
Sahil Tikoo is the State Spokesperson BJP Youth Wing J&K and an entrepreneur.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK