The failure of Jammu and Kashmir policy

One incident that caught national attention the other day came when Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah daringly broke through the security cordon, before scaling the fence to join the annual Fatiha ceremony at the Martyrs' Tomb in Nawhatta chowk in South Srinagar. Taking to social media platform X later, the chief minister sought the ‘law enforcers’ to explain the reason for stopping him from participating the ceremony, despite having done nothing illegal. One question might as well naturally arise here is: why should he be called chief minister if the law and order is not in his hands? The truth is Jammu and Kashmir is in effect governed by the Lt. Governor appointed by the Central Government. After unilaterally abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Narendra Modi government bifurcated the state into three parts and imposed President's rule. The Centre, however, was forced to hold elections and restore the statehood following the Supreme Court order to the effect just before the given deadline. It was carried out after gerrymandering constituencies in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu to help the BJP garner maximum seats. Yet the assembly elections saw unprecedented public participation. The National Conference alliance came to power with majority seats under the leadership of Omar Abdullah. The power was transferred after resting crucial powers in the hands of Lt. Governor, turning the elected government into a scarecrow. The truth is that the government led by Omar Abdullah is carrying on with the limited powers of one large municipality. The answer to the question what came of it is in Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha's open admission yesterday. Sinha admitted that the Pahalgam terror attack that shocked the country and the world was a security lapse and that he was taking full responsibility for it. It is natural for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to blame the Lt. Governor's lapses on dragging the country to a war.

Thousands of tourists flocked to Jammu and Kashmir from all over the world and the country after the Centre proclaimed the state was peaceful, that people were happy, when terrorists who had infiltrated from nowhere into the peaceful and beautiful Pahalgam gunned down 26 tourists, shaking the country. Even after 12 weeks of the incident it remains a mystery how five or six terrorists were able to enter fearing none and facing no obstacles in that hilly area where there was no trace of police or army. None of our investigative agencies has yet got any clue as to who the terrorists were or where they were hiding. The Lt. Governor's confession has to be viewed as the Centre’s admission of guilt. In hindsight, it has to be considered whether the recent military action or war against Pakistan, as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has openly said, was necessitated by the serious lapse of the Modi government. What is the answer if someone accuses, as the government claims about Operation Sindoor's achievements, the government of lacking foresight and democratic commitment leading to the now admitted loss of aircraft and US President Trump's claim that he had to intervene and stop the war? In short, the government should immediately restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as per the Supreme Court verdict and transfer power to the people's government, while limiting the Centre’s authority to border security. The Centre should at least accept not only Kashmir but also Kashmiris are an integral part of India.