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Current Political Scenario in Kashmir-an Analytical Perspective

April 21, 2024 | Mohd Ishaq Shah

Introduction:In the backdrop of 2024 parliamentary elections ,the Political situation is present Kashmir is very grim and every local/national party is busy in election campaign to motivate the public for gaining votes in their favor. Every now and then we see political figures of various regional/national parties addressing public rallies at various places. And it seems that the situation is so pressurized that we can say it with confirmation that it is just BJP Vs all the other local/national parties in field. What may be the expected results of this parliamentary election and its subsequent impacts upon the future discourse of political interaction between the center and the state is a question in itself.

Past :Gulab Singh has been called as the founder of the polity of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the 1860s, interaction with British India resulted in the region becoming a part of the geopolitical game between Russia and Britain. During the period of India's independence, the partition, up till and after India becoming a Republic, the question of Kashmir's future marked political decisions. The introduction of Pakistan into the internal political situation at this stage created complexities.
Some observers point out that the Kashmir conflict is a political issue. Amidst the political instability that the conflict has brought to the region, all the governments of Jammu and Kashmir have been engaged in attaining normalcy. The state has seen a "parallel existence of the democratic and separatist sphere of politics" and a shift from political hegemony till as late as 2002 to a multi-party system.
Historically Kashmiri Muslims preferred greater autonomy and sovereignty for the region or an independent Kashmir. However a minority of the non-Muslims who live in the region prefer the state to be fully integrated into India. Some Kashmiri Muslims also prefer to be part of Pakistan and a small part of Kashmir is under Pakistan control. There have also been a number of separatist movements, both political and militant, mostly led by Muslim leaders. However, in recent years there have been claims that a growing number of Kashmiri Muslims have been leaning towards remaining in India for economic and cultural reasons. A 2008 report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees determined that the State of Jammu and Kashmir was the only 'Partly free' state in Indiabut it is now a Union Territory rather than a State. Human rights abuses in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and a strong Indian army presence have also been an issue and affect the politics of the region.
In August 2019, the Government of India introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha and moved resolution to scrap the Article 370 from the Constitution of India and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir with a legislation like Delhi, and Ladakh with a legislation like Chandigarh. Jammu and Kashmir was the only Indian state that had its own flag. However, as Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir autonomy, was abrogated in August 2019, the flag has lost its official status.
Since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A, there have been various paradigm shifts in the political scenario of J&K like bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir state into two union territories ,emergence of PGDA, its break down and fixing of the strong roots of BJP in the state and set back of local parties in the making and especially the loss of faith in democratic procedure on part of public. At the time of abrogation of Art.370 and 35-A,all the local parties got united against BJP with the motive that they will defend the status-quo position of the sate and with the passage of time they lost their ground when finally supreme court of India gave its final verdict that the abrogation of said articles was justified under constitutional provisions for their temporary nature and the stand of BJP being that these provisions were a hurdle in between the state(UT) and the center relationships. Not only this but the center also would say that it was main obstacle in maintaining the accountability and transparency in the state as the special status of J&K would not allow the union govt. to intervene in the affairs covered by state list and consequently the people in political power would exploit the situation for their personal interests which although is justified to a great extent.
The current elections are of utmost importance with regard to political stability/ instability in Jammu and Kashmir in the sense that in case the local parties make their way in wining some/all the LOK Sabah seats of the UT, definitely, it will impact the future political discourse of the UT of J&K to the effect that people will be inclined to vote them in a Assembly Elections as well. In case, BJP is successful in winning some seats of J&K,it will have adverse effects on the overall all footing of local parties and they may lose the ground for ever. Now the matter of introspection being what/how should people behave in said elections in order to change the political scenario of J&K.The situation may become much more difficult for local parties to win in the Assembly Elections.
As of now, it seems that National Conference( NC) may win a considerable number of seats to be followed by PDP and other parties like APNI Party and Democratic Azad Party ). But , it there is a saying that “Kashmir Kay Mousam Aur Dehli Ki Raajniti Pe koee barosa Nahi” meaning that there is no guarantee on the weather of Kashmir and the Rajniti at Dehli. These are the most unpredictable things in themselves. And the most crucial thing is that the temperament of Kashmir people is never stable .they can change their mode anytime and turn the things topsy-turvy.
In case BJP wins the parliamentary elections in J&K that may impact the Assembly Elections in future and they might gain the ground in the UT as in 2014 Assembly Elections. So, as a result, there will be a complete change of the scene and a tough time will start for both the mainstream politicians and their allies. The law enforcement may take new shift and it may encompass the religious/ ethical discourse of the state and perhaps the people might be scared to manifest their belief and practice their faith in the form of formal worship and other activities. The hard stance of BJP will get more momentum and the subjects of the UT may be subjected to more hardships as they would have faced during the Dogra Rule or Afghan Rule.
So for as the work culture under BJP is concerned there is nothing wrong with it. And it has been witnessed that the official work culture has been updated up to the mark. But the political manifesto of the party comprises of Hindu Rashtra based upon Hinduttua which totally against the constitutional ethics of India.As the Art.25 of Indian constitution guarantees every citizen the right to propagate and practice his own religion. All this is reflected by BJPs intervention in terms of Beef Ban, Tripple-Talaaq and pardah system.
So the current political situation has a crucial relevance with the future political discourse of the UT of J&K. It may reshape the political set up or damage it totally to the effect that the local parties will never think of contesting elections. And BJP will enjoy its position unto the change in overall political set up of India. As history reveals it that political discourse of Jammu and Kashmir is directly or indirectly influenced by the political scenario at national level.

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Current Political Scenario in Kashmir-an Analytical Perspective

April 21, 2024 | Mohd Ishaq Shah

Introduction:In the backdrop of 2024 parliamentary elections ,the Political situation is present Kashmir is very grim and every local/national party is busy in election campaign to motivate the public for gaining votes in their favor. Every now and then we see political figures of various regional/national parties addressing public rallies at various places. And it seems that the situation is so pressurized that we can say it with confirmation that it is just BJP Vs all the other local/national parties in field. What may be the expected results of this parliamentary election and its subsequent impacts upon the future discourse of political interaction between the center and the state is a question in itself.

Past :Gulab Singh has been called as the founder of the polity of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the 1860s, interaction with British India resulted in the region becoming a part of the geopolitical game between Russia and Britain. During the period of India's independence, the partition, up till and after India becoming a Republic, the question of Kashmir's future marked political decisions. The introduction of Pakistan into the internal political situation at this stage created complexities.
Some observers point out that the Kashmir conflict is a political issue. Amidst the political instability that the conflict has brought to the region, all the governments of Jammu and Kashmir have been engaged in attaining normalcy. The state has seen a "parallel existence of the democratic and separatist sphere of politics" and a shift from political hegemony till as late as 2002 to a multi-party system.
Historically Kashmiri Muslims preferred greater autonomy and sovereignty for the region or an independent Kashmir. However a minority of the non-Muslims who live in the region prefer the state to be fully integrated into India. Some Kashmiri Muslims also prefer to be part of Pakistan and a small part of Kashmir is under Pakistan control. There have also been a number of separatist movements, both political and militant, mostly led by Muslim leaders. However, in recent years there have been claims that a growing number of Kashmiri Muslims have been leaning towards remaining in India for economic and cultural reasons. A 2008 report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees determined that the State of Jammu and Kashmir was the only 'Partly free' state in Indiabut it is now a Union Territory rather than a State. Human rights abuses in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and a strong Indian army presence have also been an issue and affect the politics of the region.
In August 2019, the Government of India introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 in the Rajya Sabha and moved resolution to scrap the Article 370 from the Constitution of India and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir with a legislation like Delhi, and Ladakh with a legislation like Chandigarh. Jammu and Kashmir was the only Indian state that had its own flag. However, as Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir autonomy, was abrogated in August 2019, the flag has lost its official status.
Since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A, there have been various paradigm shifts in the political scenario of J&K like bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir state into two union territories ,emergence of PGDA, its break down and fixing of the strong roots of BJP in the state and set back of local parties in the making and especially the loss of faith in democratic procedure on part of public. At the time of abrogation of Art.370 and 35-A,all the local parties got united against BJP with the motive that they will defend the status-quo position of the sate and with the passage of time they lost their ground when finally supreme court of India gave its final verdict that the abrogation of said articles was justified under constitutional provisions for their temporary nature and the stand of BJP being that these provisions were a hurdle in between the state(UT) and the center relationships. Not only this but the center also would say that it was main obstacle in maintaining the accountability and transparency in the state as the special status of J&K would not allow the union govt. to intervene in the affairs covered by state list and consequently the people in political power would exploit the situation for their personal interests which although is justified to a great extent.
The current elections are of utmost importance with regard to political stability/ instability in Jammu and Kashmir in the sense that in case the local parties make their way in wining some/all the LOK Sabah seats of the UT, definitely, it will impact the future political discourse of the UT of J&K to the effect that people will be inclined to vote them in a Assembly Elections as well. In case, BJP is successful in winning some seats of J&K,it will have adverse effects on the overall all footing of local parties and they may lose the ground for ever. Now the matter of introspection being what/how should people behave in said elections in order to change the political scenario of J&K.The situation may become much more difficult for local parties to win in the Assembly Elections.
As of now, it seems that National Conference( NC) may win a considerable number of seats to be followed by PDP and other parties like APNI Party and Democratic Azad Party ). But , it there is a saying that “Kashmir Kay Mousam Aur Dehli Ki Raajniti Pe koee barosa Nahi” meaning that there is no guarantee on the weather of Kashmir and the Rajniti at Dehli. These are the most unpredictable things in themselves. And the most crucial thing is that the temperament of Kashmir people is never stable .they can change their mode anytime and turn the things topsy-turvy.
In case BJP wins the parliamentary elections in J&K that may impact the Assembly Elections in future and they might gain the ground in the UT as in 2014 Assembly Elections. So, as a result, there will be a complete change of the scene and a tough time will start for both the mainstream politicians and their allies. The law enforcement may take new shift and it may encompass the religious/ ethical discourse of the state and perhaps the people might be scared to manifest their belief and practice their faith in the form of formal worship and other activities. The hard stance of BJP will get more momentum and the subjects of the UT may be subjected to more hardships as they would have faced during the Dogra Rule or Afghan Rule.
So for as the work culture under BJP is concerned there is nothing wrong with it. And it has been witnessed that the official work culture has been updated up to the mark. But the political manifesto of the party comprises of Hindu Rashtra based upon Hinduttua which totally against the constitutional ethics of India.As the Art.25 of Indian constitution guarantees every citizen the right to propagate and practice his own religion. All this is reflected by BJPs intervention in terms of Beef Ban, Tripple-Talaaq and pardah system.
So the current political situation has a crucial relevance with the future political discourse of the UT of J&K. It may reshape the political set up or damage it totally to the effect that the local parties will never think of contesting elections. And BJP will enjoy its position unto the change in overall political set up of India. As history reveals it that political discourse of Jammu and Kashmir is directly or indirectly influenced by the political scenario at national level.


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Owner, Printer, Publisher, Editor: Farooq Ahmad Wani
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