Of Kashmir’s Current Eerie Calm

kashmir-peace

Since July situation in the Kashmir valley has been turbulent and is showing almost no signs of coming back to what we call normalcy. Now in November, even after four months of terrible agony, an eerie calm is prevailing which is by no means an indication of peace. After the demise of Burhan Wani, Kashmir witnessed a Tsunami of great magnitude or we can even say, an intifada of sorts. Every segment of the population has been affected by the wave of strong discontent shown by the people against the Indian forces for their suppressive tactics. Everyone questions the arbitrary and authoritarian nature of the state which seems to be going unabated. Nevertheless law and order falls under the State List, yet the obliged CM of our state has shown hyper sensitive emotionality to cast out the use of pellets and deadly weapons which are used to break off the ongoing protests instead of displaying a great grit to constrain while dealing with the mammoth challenge. Great leaders are always ahead of ages, they deal with things as per the popular support. There were accretive expectations from the PDP led govt especially for South Kashmir, the worst of victims, who in a way offered support and mandate to the party for projecting itself as a viable alternative to the decadent NC. The electorate in Anantnag District in the recent elections gave popular support to her by putting other contenders at bay. South Kashmir has aided this party so as to set the example of delight. Even apolitical person has exhibited his/her vote in favour of Mehbooba Mufti for her so called people’s concern approach which seems now a traditional rhetoric and a murderous political gimmick. To the level of shedding only incessant tears occasionally, Mehbooba’s hollow concern for the common Kashmiris who are now being victimized and swept under the rug makes visible the part of her latent artificiality.

Just after Mehbooba’s elevation as CM, Kashmir’s plunge into upheaval reminded of another historical discord and anarchy which was characteristic of Razia Sultana’s period. Razia Sultana, the first Muslim woman ruler of India, ruled from 1236-40. She administered like a man. She left feminine dress and ornaments and wore the dress of a king. Though Razia was an able ruler, but as she was woman, it proved to her demerit. And escalated not only anarchy but also created other uncertainties like sectarian clashes. Minhaj Siraj her contemporary writer adds that she was a great ruler, wise, just kind, well wisher of the people, saviour of her people and a great commander. I put my case it might eclipse the trust deficit which fissured out of clandestine acts. Otherwise you should unwrap the counterfeit feelings in public for which the party fanned a popular support. An issue trivial than this ongoing one boiled the present government to immediately withdraw their support to the next term for congress and left them in disarray. But to our surprise why didn’t it happen this time when the loss is huge.

Being a research scholar one is supposed to evince objective outlook. Now coming back to the present situation, state alone is not being blamed for its negligences and lapses. History has already documented the tyranny of previous regimes plausibly. In the blare of topsy-turvydom heroes or great men are not always created but sometimes events makes them so, observed by the philosophers and social scientists. Events are opportunities to establish name and fame for ages. Sumantra Bose in his book Contested Lands highlights the incrementalism rightly. He says there is a logic to an incremental approach in dealing with protracted and complex disputes, the aim being to steadily de-escalate confrontation and pave the way to a substantive settlement. While it is infeasible that permanent solutions will emerge overnight, momentum is vital to peace processes.

During an unstable situation of extreme difficulty one gets pained by not only pointing out the cruelties of State but also of different stakeholders who are showing their shrewdness and fictitious character by doing lamentful acts. Such selfish persons are many, but to my touching experience real culprits are those persons who sell consumer goods at sky touching prices. They are trying to rod out the worst exploitation over the commoners. Such persons are unasked in the present state of disorderliness. Another sector which is ruling over the roost during this unrest and hugger mugger is broadband Internet Cafes. This sector is enjoying huge turn over by remaining cognisant with demand inflation theory. They are normally breaking the records of high gains all due to their exploitative character towards helpless and pocketless students of graduation class which I witnessed few days ago. They are being charged hundred rupees for online submission of their P.M. Scholarship applications, which hardly utilises one MB for per application. Ironically, saying business ho to aisa. Such stakeholders are supplicating for prolonged strikes. Such fellows are always upto such events for their personal gains. This type of originality prompts the connotation of F.W. Taylor, who defines man as an economic man. Sarcastically, he must have seen such faces prior to giving this definition. It shows the peoples cunning and appetite for material wellbeing without any moral suasion. In such situations only people in ridden poverty become the prey. Looking out it seems huge rush of private vehicles. So rich reaches easily to the place of his work and poor remains to suffer and gets maimed also. While coming out from his home to earn some livelihood, he has to face the paydal march and helplessly with utter timidness and fear on his face waves his hands by annihilating his self for some lift, so that to reach at his work place to earn something to meet at least one end of the day but persons revealed that they get negative responses in reply. Such baneful and pruritic go through devalue the righteous order of our society which was probably unknown to the valley during pre-modern times.

Mohammad Shoaib. I am a Research Scholar at the Department of History, University of Kashmir. I am originally from Uttersoo, Anantnag. My chief interest in research is to explore the possibilities of documenting and bringing to fore the ancient sites of culture, heritage and tourism. I also like to write on political and social issues which currently beset us. The aim is to educate ourselves and others on the lines of progressive ethos.

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