The fast-paced J&K tour of India's second most powerful political leader, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister,
has stirred the political inertia prevailing in Jammu since the first and the last all party meet called by the
Prime Minister in June 2021 at Delhi. The meeting then raised a hope to explore a political roadmap on Jammu
Kashmir. However, there was no follow up on it and activities were paused that caused a disconnect of New
Delhi with the people in Jammu Kashmir as relying exclusively upon bureaucratic channels did not yield fruits
on the ground.
Whatever may be the immediate reasons for the Home Minister to visit Jammu Kashmir, viewing politically, the
visit was to test the water and set out the course the centre may chart in coming months.
Few messages were very clear from Amit Shah's three day visit. He reiterated Delhi's known stand of refusing
any legitimacy to Pakistan at the table of talks unless it stops exporting terrorism to J&K and other parts of the
country, Shah's emphatic declaration "We will not talk to Pakistan, nor listen to the hostile neighbour, but will
talk to the people of Kashmir instead" indicating New Delhi's intention for minimising the communication gaps
that still exist between Srinagar and Delhi. He indirectly emphasised the necessity of repairing the bridges
between Srinagar and Delhi implying that Pakistan Pakistan has any role. This also seeks to inform the
populace that they shouldn't expect any solution through India-Pakistan dialogue. This was done to disprove
the premise that discussions with Pakistan were necessary to bring about peace in the region, a theory
advanced by Kashmiri politicians and a select few others in the country. However, it can also be interpreted as
an effort by Shah to imply the creation of a structure for holding dialogues with the people of Kashmir in order
to better understand them and accommodate their goals with regard to their culture, identity, land rights, and
employment security for the locals.
But there is no such mechanism in place to pursue that. The intentions and actions on the ground by New Delhi
clearly indicate its unwillingness to accommodate the existing Kashmir-centric political leadership as the
political perceptions of Kashmir's mainstream parties and that of BJP ruled centre have been diagonally
opposite.
These actions were started after Article 370 was repealed in August 2019. Although Kashmiris have their own
reservations about the local authorities, they are constantly worried about concerns related to their access to
natural resources, the security of their jobs, and their property.
The National Conference and the People's Democratic Party, who are focused on Kashmir, have opposing views
to the Centre's own on the merits of repealing Article 370.
While it is true that the BJP has always had a position on Kashmir and Article 370, this should not be used as
an excuse to avoid talking about other concerns. The two sides have merely traded insults; there hasn't been
any conversation. Sooner the deadlock breaks, the better it will be.
