Daily Times

The humbling experience of the Indian general elections did little to turn down the hawkish tenor, as evidenced by the recent remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Jammu and Kashmir. The determination with which he hinted at statehood for the controversy-ravaged state sparked intense debate, sending the Muslim leaders scrambling in all directions.

Nothing short of inflammatory and divisive, Mr Modi is yet to learn from the changed mood of the nation as he has once again demonstrated a blatant disregard for the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. His fixation on revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and imposing his brand of governance would only serve to exacerbate the existing tensions in the region.

Modi’s authoritarian tendencies have been on full display in his handling of the Kashmir issue for years on end. May it be revoking Article 370 or the establishment of the largest open-air concentration camps in the picturesque Valley, suspension of internet services or unprecedented bans on freedom of expression, the Modi Doctrine would go down in history as the worst period of authoritarianism in the secular country. By sidelining the democratically elected leaders of the region and imposing a puppet administration, he has undermined the very principles of democracy and federalism. This obsession with control and domination cannot win back the hardliner base his party seems to have lost touch with and would only alienate the people of Kashmir further; deepening their sense of disenfranchisement. This nauseating silence of dissenting voices has created a powder keg situation in Kashmir that threatens to explode at any moment.

As rightly remarked by separatist leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah, it was high time for the Modi government to revisit its Kashmir policy and adopt a pragmatic approach to find a peaceful solution. Anything less would be a grave injustice to the people of Kashmir and a stain on India’s democratic values. If New Delhi is not ready to read the writing on the blood-stained wall, perhaps, the international community could play its due role in holding the Indian government accountable for its actions. *