The left out leftists and soft leftists have always demonstrated their acts in reverse order to what Indian ethos and belief giving new and alien narratives to justify. Their past records stand testimony to their often support and sympathies to separatists and violent rebellion sentiments to stand taller on the measuring post of secularism. On their recent visit as component of All Party Delegation (APD), these leftists and socialists were seen begging for an audience with the well-known pro-Pakistani and communalist Ali Shah Geelani. Solicitous Sitaram Yechury, the CPI(M) member of the Rajya Sabha, knocking urgently at the door of the Kashmir separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and an aide from inside the house refusing to let him in, is, more than a rebuff.
As feared, it was an indication of the unreasonableness of the secessionists. Yechury and three other members of the all-party delegation to Kashmir had insisted on taking the trouble to go and meet the Hurriyat leader. Aside from Yechury, Sharad Yadav of the JD (U), D. Raja of the CPI and J. P. Yadav of the RJD approached Geelani.
Geelani did not want to meet them. Without drawing satisfaction from his discourteous behaviour — after all, all four had been pressing the Government for talks with all the `stakeholders' in Kashmir — Geelani's rudeness underlines the difficulties of the Centre in locating relevant interlocutors in the Valley. Indeed, Home Minister Rajnath Singh did well to distance himself from the unilateral act of Yechury and Co. Singh could not have opened himself to such a rebuff without undermining the authority of the Indian State.
Four leading opposition parliamentarians being turned away by Geelani can only raise the stock of the secessionist leader in Rawalpindi GHQ, but it certainly did nothing for Yechury's own standing. It is alright to suggest like a broken vinyl record `talk to the stakeholders,' but selecting those stakeholders and figuring out what to talk can be extremely problematic. Talk to whom and talk what is the dilemma of the Centre. Successive governments have undertaken those talks without any of those producing a durable end to the secessionist/jihadi violence. Prime Minister Modi has personally expressed pain at the loss of young lives in Kashmir in the on-going violence.
He is ready to engage the stakeholders in a constructive dialogue. But, frankly, endless rounds of talks in the past failed to yield anything, Kashmir remains troubled due to a handful of people acting as agents of Pakistan and constantly fomenting unrest in the Valley. Fear and inducements besides the religious affinity force a vast majority in the Valley to do the bidding of the secessionists. Still, one has no doubt that a large majority would like to get on with the everyday business of life, looking after families and building the future of their children.
But the ISI and its jihadis would not leave them alone, forcing them on the path of protest. Future of the younger generations of Kashmiris seems bleak if they have to live 24×7 in agitation mode. Therefore, given the intractability of the Hurriyat and other secessionists, it is important to deal with Kashmir on two separate levels. As far as the law and order is concerned, the police and security forces should be allowed to do their job in order to restore a modicum of normalcy in the Valley. Peaceful protests have a place in all democracies. If the protests remain peaceful and continue indefinitely, there should be no attempt to stop them.
However, the security forces cannot be expected to fight the insurrectionists with their hands tied to the back. In other words, the Indian State cannot turn the other cheek even as Kashmiris throw Molotov cocktails and use AK-47s against the police and the security forces. Jihadis cannot complain that the Government is using force to quell their challenge. Having said this, there should be a continuing effort to reach out to the genuine representatives of the Kashmiris to resolve outstanding grievances and to take corrective measures in case of any aberration of the the past.
Grant of greater autonomy should only follow a greater clarity as to what secessionists will make of it. One has to guard against greater autonomy turning into a greater danger of secessionists offering Kashmir on a platter to the Rawalpindi GHQ. However, a long-term solution can only be found when Pakistan gets sucked deeper and deeper into its own internal problems, its growing economic mess and the increasing danger from various militias working at cross-purposes even as India gets militarily and economically powerful. A successful India can better persuade the jihadis to return to the path of sanity in order for them to share in the prosperity rather than their continuing to be hapless pawns in the hands of the ISI.
