Daily Times

The recent protests in Indian Held Kashmir led to the death of a teenage boy when the security forces started shooting at the protesters who were chanting slogans and hurling stones. The protest was not entirely peaceful but the Indian security forces opening fire on unarmed civilians will only increase resentment against Indian rule. All protesters are instantly categorised by the police and security forces in Indian Held Kashmir as “separatist” and “anti-India”, leading them to open fire or arrest people unjustly. The BJP government should not only work to make the atmosphere less hostile towards voices of dissent but also to listen to the concerns of the Kashmiri public with an open mind if it hopes to win over the Kashmiri people and run a functional government there. The police started an investigation into the incident, calling it “unfortunate” and a “violation of the laid down SOP (standard operating procedure)”. This is an unprecedented stance for Kashmir’s law enforcement and reflects the new government’s efforts to check the brutality of its security forces there. However, many rights groups believe that such investigations are unfruitful and only aimed at calming public outrage in the short term.

Despite the relatively more upon dialogue about the Kashmir issue in the region, none of the parties involved in the dispute are becoming less intransigent in their stances. The coalition formed between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Kashmiri Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after neither of them could acquire a clear majority in the local elections, offerred a sliver of hope that cooperation between the federal and local parties may ease conflict in Indian Held Kashmir. The PDP has always advocated self-rule for Kashmir. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution does give some measure of legislative autonomy to Kashmir but this autonomy has been undercut by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which allows Indian security forces to enter buildings, make arrests and shoot to kill any possible suspects without warrants or due process and is responsible for much of the resentment against India in Held Kashmir. The conditions that the PDP put forth before the BJP for the formation of their coalition government included dialogue with Pakistan, the retention of Article 370 (which BJP had been attempting to repeal since it came to power in the Centre) and the withdrawal of AFSPA. BJP did agree to these demands but it remains to be seen whether they will be implemented. PDP does seem to be pressing BJP to hold to the terms of the agreement. PDP has lost popularity because the Kashmiris perceive its leaders to be complying with BJP’s mode of governance to maintain the coalition.
The Pakistan foreign office has spoken out against the killing of the protester and condemned the “brutal use of force by Indian security forces”. Although the incident does need to be condemned, Pakistan rarely misses an opportunity to castigate India for its transgressions in Held Kashmir, increasing the hostility between the neighbours over the issue. Instead of just criticising India’s governance in Held Kashmir, the Pakistan government needs to take a more proactive approach and try to arrive at solutions rather than pointing out problems. The foreign office also criticised the arrests of leaders of the Hurriyat Conference, a conglomerate of separatist parties in Kashmir. Members of the Hurriyat have been increasingly chanting pro-Pakistan slogans and waving the Pakistan flag at their protests and rallies, causing the Indian security forces to come down on them even harder. BJP needs to follow through on its pledges to PDP but the process would be facilitated if the other parties involved, including Pakistan, the Hurriyat and other factions, were to abstain from making remarks that fuel hostilities over the Kashmir issue. Compromise is desperately needed, not just in terms of civil and military policy, but also in any discussions and statements pertaining to this highly sensitive topic. Both Pakistan and India need to let go of their age old turf war over Kashmir and do what is in the best interests of the Kashmiri people to prevent hostilities breaking out over Kashmir, especially along the already tense Line of Control and working boundary. Neither Pakistan nor India, since they acquired nuclear arms, can afford the Kashmir conundrum spiralling out of control. Only cool and level headed approaches can help find a negotiated historic compromise over this long running sore of South Asia. *