The valley beckons

Unlike 2010, the Kashmir valley in 2011 represents a picture of tranquility. Domestic and foreign tourists are arriving in droves. Markets are open late in the night, as does the buzz of midnight traffic.

The recently-renovated Lal Chowk, witness to many historical twists and turns in the troubled Valley, is booming with business activities.

Developmental works pursued by different government agencies — including increasingly better cooperation between the central and their state government — have hastened the pace of development in large parts of the Valley.

In keeping with the Eid spirit, the state government announced a general amnesty for thousands of youngsters booked for pelting stones last summer.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah ordered the release of two spearheads of the 2010 stonepelters' agitation, both close companions of hardliner separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Geelani, who had earlier warned of a stir if prisoners were not released by Eid, now has ground cut from under his feet, his agitation postponed for now.

Under the amnesty, 1,200 cases will be withdrawn and this move is likely to get 5,000 or so youngsters off the hook. Of them most are the one who had created trouble for the government by pelting stones at the army and police.

A year ago, in the summer of 2010, Kashmir was rocked by continuous violent protests and by an ever-mounting list of protester casualties, many of them teenagers and boys under ten whose day began with a hartal and ended with nights under curfew.

A majority of political commentators and analysts had written off the young chief minister labelling him among other things of being `armature' or someone who lived in an ivory tower not connected to his people.

After 118 deaths and many injuries, the dust in the Valley began settling down. Nonetheless, with Rambo-like war cries swearing revenge by June 2011 which had rent the Valley's air, the summer looked pensive.

Yet the eight months that have elapsed to peace, despite sporadic incidents, have confounded seasoned observers.

In this period, a panchayat elections was also held successfully after 23 years, the Amarnath Yatra was peaceful and tourists who came in as part of the good old family packages, completed the string of successes needed to get civil society back on rail.

It is no secret, for instance, that in the absence of panchayati raj institutions, the state was losing about Rs 260 crore annually, unable as it was to avail of central government funding and benefits.

When early this year, Omar Abdullah’s government announced dates for the 16-phased panchayat elections spread over three months, many eyebrows were raised, not the least of separatists who urged people to stay away from the polls.

While Geelani described participation in the polls as a “betrayal to the martyrs”, militant outfits like Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) threatened people openly against going to polling booths.

But the voter turnout shocked the separatists and their followers. In the first phase, 77.80 per cent voters cast their votes, a clear message that the threat bluff had been called.

The overall percentage of polling varied from a high of 90 per cent to the relatively less spectacular 72.4 per cent.

How has this transformation happened? Is it the realisation that violence will not pay? Says, Nasir Aslam Wani, minister of state (MoS) home, "The people have understood that for decentralization of power to the grass roots and for successful implementation of national plans for economic and social development, panchayat elections are important. Which is why participation levels were so high. It was a clear message that Kashmiris have reposed faith in a democratic process and the electoral system of the country.”

After the panchayat polls concluded on June 18 came the challenge of conducting a peaceful Amarnath Yatra.

That too turned out, against all odds, a success story with zero violence. More than 6.35 lakh people paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The success of Amarnath yatra was followed by a tourist boom in a state where 60 per cent of the population directly or indirectly relies on the tourism trade to earn a livelihood.

With jam-packed flights from Delhi and Mumbai landing in Srinagar along with thousands of private and hired vehicles with tourists driving in from Jammu and other places, the message is unequivocal: near normalcy has been restored in the once troubled Valley.

"We have received 7.5 lakh tourists so far and we expect a million till year-end. We are also preparing to host winter tourists too,” Nawang Rigzin Jora, tourism Minister of Jammu and Kashmir told this magazine.

To be sure, in a region hit by endemic violence for over two decades, there have been moments of anxiety.

n A 26 years old man Nazim Rashid, was tortured to death in a police lock up in Sopore leading to angry mobs attacking a cavalcade of 18 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators, the main opposition party, with stones when they were on their way to express solidarity with the victim's family.

A week later, a civilian was reportedly killed by the army in Surankote village of Poonch District.

In both cases, the chief minister ordered prompt remedial action by ordering inquiries or suspending officials against whom there was prima facie evidence of misconduct.

"We have taken prompt action and people involved in these incidents will be punished as per law,'' chief minister Omar Abdullah told TSI (see interview).

The confirmation of the existence of mass graves in the Valley by the State Human rights Commission (SHRC) has come as a deep embarrassment to the government.

SHRC's recent revelation that 2,156 unidentified bodies were found buried in unmarked graves at 38 different places in the Kashmir Valley is turning out to be a disconcerting finding as far as the state government is concerned.

The revelation, after three years of investigation, is the first official acknowledgment about unidentified graves in Jammu and Kashmir.

It was first reported in 2008 by a Kashmiri human rights body which claimed to have located hundreds of bodies buried in unnamed graves, with the SHRC saying that civilians tagged as militants may have been buried there in the last two decades of turmoil.

But most unusually, there has been no mass protests or public outcry in the Valley on such an emotive issue, tempered as it is with the perception, that such findings can damage the prospects of this newly-discovered peace after two decades.

Naturally, to maintain this steady course, infiltrations, a time-tested recipe for stirring trouble, have to be kept to a minimum.

And the army is keeping an eye. "Eight infiltration bids have been foiled on the Line of Control (LoC) and on the international border in Jammu and Kashmir during the first 15 days of August,” Lt-Col JS Brar, Srinagar-based public defence PRO, told TSI.

The biggest of these bids was on August 20 when a group of heavily armed militants tried to cross the Kishenganga river (called Neelam by Pakistanis), using boats to sneak into the valley in the Gurez sector of north Kashmir's Bandipora district. According to Brar's estimate, 12 of them were killed.

In a fresh PR offensive, government, security agencies and the Indian Army are trying to reach out to the people in an effort to win friends and influence people, because minus their support, it would be doubly difficult to block out routes which militants use to sneak in.

In keeping with this spirit, the army is teaching the Kashmiri language, culture and sensibilities to its troops to avoid misunderstandings with common people. "We are teaching Kashmiri to our jawans so that they understand the local culture, religion, living standards, and the other sensitivities,'' Brar adds.

The chief minister's charm offensive matches those of the security agencies. Omar Abdullah — once criticized for not being in touch — has now opened the doors of his plush Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar for common people in the shape of a janata durbar.

The tech-savvy CM spends time on social network sites like Twitter, sharing information and offering comments freely.

Following in their boss footsteps, ministers and top bureaucrats hold `awami durbars' at different villages to get a link onto the common man.
With such frantic activity, the police too has joined the PR bandwagon.

S M Sahaie, inspector general of police told TSI, "After last year’s unrest, we have been in touch with people in every area. We want to give them a sense of security and make them realise that we are here to serve them. We keep in touch with youngsters as well as elders.”

In a state where youngsters have been at the receiving end of police violence, it came as one hell of a surprise to see Kashmiri youngsters enrolling in vast numbers when the state police launched a recruitment drive after the unrest ended last year. Things have changed fast.

"Since then we have recruited more than 1,000 boys from Srinagar alone. Many of them had fought pitched battles with the police last year,'' says Sahaie.

Not surprisingly, despite visible signs of normalcy, hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani is reluctant to see it that way. "This is not peace and normalcy. This is in fact, a graveyard-like silence which India is trying to maintain here as part of its colonial tactics,” Geelani said.

According to him, the presence of a million-strong army backed by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is a hurdle to peace.

There are Kashmir watchers who believe it is too early to say that normalcy has returned. Fulminates Noor Ahmad Baba, a teacher and the head of Kashmir University’s political science department "Absence of war or agitation does not mean normalcy. There may be peace in Kashmir but we cannot call it normalcy. Had it been a normal state, what was the need for such a large security force on the roads. Why have the army and other security forces been given draconian powers to kill? ''

Journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, who is heading the three-member team of interlocutors on Kashmir, too, believes it is too early to pass a judgment about the Valley being a normal place now.

"No doubt normalcy is visible here but a single incident can ruin all efforts undertaken for peace. There is a lot to do for permanent peace," Padgaonkar told this magazine.

Such as? Padgoankar was not forthcoming but he adds, “Wait a few days. We are going to submit our comprehensive report along with our recommendations to the government.'' Could it pave the way for an even more ever lasting peace in the Kashmir Valley?

Homecoming

 

Kashmiri Pandits are returning to their motherland in droves and they are happy to be back

At midnight, a group of young Kashmiri Pandits in their 30s sit out on the lawns of the Island restaurant in Srinagar’s Nagin Lake, chatting up animatedly, enjoying the gentle breeze and watching the moonlight reflect on the clean waters of the splendid lake, just like their ancestors had done in the years gone by – or more specifically before 1989 when their world had come crashing down.

The restaurant owner, my friend Maqbool, introduced me to these youngsters from the Pandit community. In a show of typical Kashmiri warmth, we embrace and after introductions, I ask them what they are doing at mid night amidst the resplendent lake?

"Trying to feel the breeze and smell of this stunning home land of ours which had grown distant in the last two decades,'' replies Sushil Pajnu, one of the crowd.

Adds Shahiji, another Pandit, "We are happy that the dark period has passed and we are back with our Muslim brothers. Both communities have suffered horribly. We bear no grudges with our Muslim brothers. We have seen good and bad days together. Let’s hope for a better future.” Shah Ji was in his teens when Pandits migrated from here in 1989 after the turmoil began full tilt in the Valley.

Kashmiri Pandits, mostly youngsters, have been returning back to the Valley since 2008, when the state government announced a special employment package for educated migrant Kashmiri Pandits under which 6,000 youth were chosen to be given employment in the government sector.

For facilitating the return and rehabilitation of Pandit migrants, a comprehensive package of Rs 1618.40 crore has been announced.

The state government has constructed residential quarters for their rehabilitation at four different places in the Valley: Sheikhpora, Mattan, Vessu and Pulwama.

The Pandits had embarked on a mass migration after the insurgency had rocked the Valley and stayed outside their state for fear of violence.

Recently, union minister of state for home Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha that 219 Kashmiri Pandits were killed and around 58,000 families have left the Valley in the last 22 years. In Sheikhpora in Badgam district, families returning after a long gap say they are happy. It appears that the turbulent days are over. One such returnee, Subtara Butt's daughter, Bharti, was recently employed in the State Power Development Department under the special employment package. The two live together in a government- constructed residence.

The rest of the family in Jammu plans to move to Srinagar permanently. "I am here to look after my daughter. We have returned after 22 years,'' says Subtara, originally a resident of Tangmarg town of Baramullah. Most of the Pandits are happy with the turn of events.
She adds that Bharti was four when they left. "Thank God, finally we returned to our soil. This is our swurg (heaven).”

According to a senior Kashmiri Pandit leader Sanjay Saraf, national president of Yuva Lok Janshakti Party, more than 3,000 educated youngsters from his community have been employed by the government under the special employment package.

"I personally feel that Kashmiri migrants should return as the situation has improved drastically in the Valley, ” Saraf says and adds, "but they should come with open minds and open hearts.”

Will the Pandit migrants stay on? Points out chief minister Omar Abdullah, "I cannot certify whether this a right time or not for Pandits to return.

But, I would like to say that the violence is at its lowest now. On this point some amount of confidence can be restored. We are trying to create a conducive atmosphere so that it will help them to return.'' One can only hope that along with peace will come the Pandits to the Valley.

New Delhi has supported me in my bad days

You have succeeded in restoring peace in the Valley. Is it sustainable?

Well, I don’t want to make a prediction. There is definitely a visible improvement in the situation if we compare it with last year. But we need to ensure that this improvement lasts till the end of the year.

How did the situation improve?

There are a number of factors which contributed. I think people are fed up with agitations. Last year unrest ruined the tourist season, children education suffered and their exams were affected. People suffered huge losses. I believe common people are not ready to spoil their lives anymore.

Has New Delhi given you enough support to tackle the situation?

I have absolutely no complaint. My government has got every thing what it wanted from the central government, most importantly financial support. Our economy is essential. The fact is that the central government of India has been very supportive to me in my bad days.

We saw a lot of public enthusiasm during the panchayat elections. Is this an indication that people have changed and will not protest on the streets again?

I don’t want to relate the participation of people in the panchayat elections with street protests. Panchayats are important to empower people. And people know this. We cannot link the street protests with public enthusiasm during the electoral process. However, the panchayat elections have contributed positively.

Are separatists leaders still relevant. Is there need to engage them in the dialogue process?

I believe that we should engage everybody in the dialogue process. But unfortunately the separatists have been reluctant so for to participate in any fruitful dialogue. They don’t come forward. The fact is that the separatists are not as interested in talking to us as they are with the government of India. But we want them to get engaged in the dialogue process.

Some people oppose talks with Pakistan on Kashmir. What is your view?

Those who oppose dialogue with Pakistan should know that there is no other option. It is something we have to do. I have said it on more than one occasion that Pakistan is our neighbour and we can’t change this reality. We can’t choose our neighbours. And it is in our own interest to have good relations.

What of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act? Do you think it is the main reason behind human right violations in the state?

This is true that AFSPA has created distrust among people that it allows human rights violation but this perception is unfortunately true. AFSPA has been a cause of trouble. We are in the process and discussing the matter in the committee that has been set up by me to look at revocation of AFSPA in some particular areas. However, so far, we have not made any progress in this direction.

What of human right excesses? Don't you think people are well within their rights to say that either you are hoodwinking them or those involved in such acts do not listen to you?

As far as Sopore and Surankot incidents are concerned, we have reacted. Charges are filed. And we will ensure that the guilty are punished. There is no question of anybody getting away. We don’t cover up the things. The government will seriously deal with such issues.