COMPLEX ISSUE
   Date :04-Aug-2019

 
THE clamour now raging in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) about the massive presence and fresh deployment of Armed Forces in the State has an unfortunate political dimension. Those who are indulging in kite-flying about the purpose of such a deployment are looking at the overall scenario from a narrow political perspective. Rumours are flying high about a possible withdrawal of Section 35A. Rumours also are raging about a possible trifurcation of the State into Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
 
The heavy deployment of the Armed Forces is getting linked to these stories doing the rounds. Adding to the confusion is the curtailment of the Amarnath Yatra by a bit, which many are seeing as an indication of a major step the Government could be contemplating to take in J&K. However, the issue of Kashmir is so complex that it cannot be looked from only one angle. Dimensions of national security impacting a lot of Government decisions are varied and complex and cannot be considered from a narrow perspective. However, there is no point in denying that the Centre is thinking very seriously about bringing about major change in its Kashmir policy, which can have a long-range implication in the troubled State.
 
As a result, political parties in the State have now stepped up the demand to have legislative elections before year-end, as could be seen from the details of the discussion the National Conference leadership had with Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi in New Delhi. It would be preposterous to derive only a political meaning from the recent developments, however. For, when the authorities seek to curtail the Amarnath Yatra, though in a small measure, they do not do so only for political reasons.
 
What is dominating the official thinking is the threat perceptions from the point of view of national security. In fact, the biggest threat to security conditions in Jammu and Kashmir has come from political parties whose leaders -- like former Chief Minister Ms. Mehbooba Mufti -- are issuing warnings about a possible worsening of the situation if the Government chose to scrap or withdraw Section 35A. Ms. Mufti has gone to the extent of warning that the whole State would be up in flames if the Centre made some such moves. With such threats flying high in the air, no Government would like to take risks in terms of national security. Actually, that perception must have played big role in official decision-making about massive deployment of Armed Forces. Unfortunately, those who are raising many issues about the presence of Armed Forces in such massive measures actually refuse to see the entire picture.
 
Their perspective is narrow and does not consider all dimensions of the security scenario, And such a persistent refusal to see sense in whatever the Government is doing in Kashmir is because of political vested political interest of certain segments of the society. The Centre is trying to address that issue first, as a starting point of a corrective process. The massive deployment of the Armed Forces, thus, have many triggers. That makes it imperative to look at the Kashmir situation from a wider perspective. There is little doubt, however, that the situation in the troubled State is in for a major change in genuine national interest that goes beyond domestic politics.