Jammu, June 22: Better late than never! After an unnerving lull stretched to almost two years, the truncated J&K’s political landscape is presently, yet again, abuzz with welcome hectic activities.
‘Dialogue never goes waste. Whatever the change has to come, will come out of the dialogue only.’
This is the dominating discourse evolving out of the pleasant churning in the corridors of power and public space in J&K nowadays.
And it has derived its source from the invitation (may read it as an olive branch) extended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the J&K political leaders for an All Party Meet in New Delhi on June 24.
The invite is being perceived as the Centre’s reach-out to political parties to mend fences generated by its hard arm-twisting methods adopted against them post August 5, 2019.
Obviously the reactions to the invitation are diverse across the socio-political spectrum of J&K.
There is no dearth of those sceptical of the move or those who are simply indifferent. However, the majority has imbued optimism vis-a-vis Centre’s initiative as they take it as a silver lining in the clouds enveloping the UT and its people for quite a long, now. Mirthful reactions too are pouring in as no agenda of the meeting has been spelt out in advance, thus leaving a great scope for shadow-boxing.
Political commentators believe the invite does not suggest that the BJP led Centre has seemingly softened its stance, for a change, towards political parties. After all, the party had in 2014 also made an attempt for a hand-shake, which found its fruition in the ambitious “Agenda of Alliance” with the PDP-led by seasoned politician Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.
‘North Pole-South Pole’ alliance could not last long, is a story for another day. Prior to it, it had played an equally illustrious inning with the National Conference, which though again ended at a bitter note. The party, though averse to it, had extended an invitation to separatists even to break the ice, when the need arose.
The uniqueness of the initiative, probably, lies in the realisation of the futility of ‘arm-twisting methods.’
For other political pundits, it is the ‘double-edged fatigue-factor’ which has worked wonders to break the ice and shed hard stances, on both the sides. This is too obvious in the cautious reaction of NC, PDP and all others, who matter in the scheme of things in J&K.
“None wants to be seen as a loser, be it BJP or J&K’s other parties. So this exercise has come as a decent win-win situation for all, much to the advantage of people of J&K,” they believe.
The NC, PDP and other constituents of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) have chosen to stick to their stance related to restoration of Article 370 and 35-A.
“Yes, I’ve been invited and I’ll go. What are my views; I’ll air them in front of the Prime Minister. I’m not the kind of person who would indulge in propaganda before meeting the Prime Minister of the country. So I’ll not comment at all. Sorry,” was the terse response of the former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig. There’s no need for elucidation as to whom he was taking a veiled dig at.
BJP (local unit) and Congress have come out with a guarded reaction for the obvious reason that their central leadership calls the shots in such a situation. The most pleasant development is that none wants to spoil the show before-hand hence the invitation has been taken as an opening.
Veteran journalist and political analyst Arun Joshi further elucidates it, “This is very statesmanship like exercise-cum-initiative by the Prime Minister. This is a history in the making in a sense. See, never before, we had an All Party Meeting in these circumstances though we already were a special status state before August 5, 2019. Now calling an All Party Meeting at the moment when much water has flown down Jhelum and Chenab, is significant.”
“There’s a realisation that certain things need to be done vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir and all the fault-lines that have appeared, need to be repaired and removed. So I think that the Prime Minister has taken a great initiative. Equally the credit should go to the Kashmiri leadership also that they are willing to go and put across their point of view – whatever their point of view is. That is important if they can air it. It is not necessary that when you put your point of view across the table, that it will be accepted. But nevertheless, it’s the start of the consultation process. I don’t think it should be rejected outright but a middle path can be found,” Joshi points out.
“The most important thing is that a dialogue has started between Srinagar and Delhi. Jammu, of course, will be represented by BJP and a few Congressmen, whose stand is already known. I think the BJP would always say that revocation of Article 370 was the best thing to happen to J&K. But there is a counter-view also. That counter-point is with the Kashmiri leadership. That way it’s an opening which should be widened in the course of time,” he says.
“It is also important for all of us to see how things progress because ultimately whatever decision is taken or whatever course the talks take that will affect the common people of J&K. I’m sure that there will be some kind of new narrative that will be there for us to hear and see. And secondly, we should not be forgetting that if we don’t allow the Kashmiri leadership to raise certain issues then there is Pakistan already raising those issues. So to pre-empt Pakistan, it is important that the Government of India should talk to its own people. And that’s what June 24 is all about. Well, whenever dialogue starts – that has its own imperatives and that has its own importance. The dialogue never goes waste. Even if it does not succeed to the extent that we want, at the same time there are lessons, which are delivered. If those lessons are learnt then the time helps you to repair your things and heal your wounds,” veteran journalist underlines the significance of much-hyped initiative.
PDP spokesperson Suhail Bukhari was unambiguous in stating that no member of the party had a different take on this entire exercise. “Our stance to this initiative and our agenda has already been spelt out by our party president in the press conference earlier in the day. You may take inference from that,” was his terse response.
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party supremo Prof Bhim Singh, who, too, has been invited to the much-hyped meeting on June 24, views this entire exercise as a “political gamble.” To him Gupkar Alliance is aimed at creating confusion and muddling up the entire exercise.
“I’ve no expectations from this exercise. You know why this meeting has been called. They too are frustrated now. They could not restore peace here. It is anarchy in J&K. Though whatever issues I have, I will raise them there in front of the Prime Minister yet there are few posers which I can share. They want to conduct elections after the Delimitation Commission’s exercise which is based on the census of 2011. Presently it is 2021, I’ll ask why they want to take J&K behind, by ten years,” he avers.
“Rest of my agenda, I’ll present before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I know him very well. We had met for the first time in 1992 at the United Nations where he was representing some RSS lobby,” Singh says. Taking exception to the break-up of J&K, he minces no words while airing his grouse against separation of Ladakh threatening the integrity of the country and ‘occupation of parts of J&K and Ladakh by China’, linking it to the “Anglo-American Block.”
Senior National Conference leader and former minister Ali Mohammad Sagar imbued optimism about the exercise yet was guarded enough to strictly toe the party line.
“So far, things are going in the right direction. They have invited the leaders of all the parties. Almost all the leaders have decided to participate in the meet. Now what is to be seen is whether the Centre will go a step ahead and consider the request of the leaders of all the parties about the problems of J&K or not. We’ll see what way they respond. We’re positive about this development. We expect that things will go in the right direction and the central leadership led by the Prime Minister will come to some conclusion,” Sagar maintains.
“Our stand is clear that we want the restoration of position prior to August 5, 2019 and we start from that very period. There are other perceptions about the problem, which too would be raised. Our leaders have already clarified their stance and expressed the hope that the initiative will be taken onward with honesty and sincerity,” he adds.
Former MLA Pahalgam and a founding member of J&K Apni Party, Rafi Ahmad Mir prefers to stick to his party stand on the entire exercise.
“We are upbeat about this initiative as we see it from the perception that the Prime Minister has opened a door for the political process. This will provide an opportunity to the leaders here to discuss issues which pertain to the people of J&K. Our party leaders had met the Prime Minister when we were invited to Delhi by him (Prime Minister) in March last year. Thereafter we’re expecting that this process would go on but it did not because of Covid pandemic. Anyway, they have taken an initiative again, we welcome it. They have invited all the parties which have also decided to meet him. There are issues which are to be tackled by the Government of India. This meet will provide an opportunity to take up those issues and discuss them threadbare. So in that perspective it’s a welcome step,” Mir says.
“As far as expectations of any tangible outcome emerging out of this meeting are concerned, we’ll have to be realistic. As you know we don’t have any definite agenda to be discussed but the pressing issues can be taken up. Hence we feel the beginning is good. We’re expecting something good will come out of it, at least an opening to break the ice,” Mir avers.
“Our agenda is clear. Our party stands for the security of jobs in J&K youth. The process has already been initiated by the Government of India so we’ll press for its strengthening. Then we want protection of land also. Then coming to the cases pertaining to Article 370 and Article 35-A which are pending in the Supreme Court, our demand will be that the Government of India must follow it up and speed up the process. On the top of our agenda will be the restoration of statehood, re-building of the institutions and transfer of power to the people. See bottom-line is – the dialogue is the only solution, whatever good will happen, will come out of it only,” Rafi Mir said.