JK News Today’s analysis
There are two big takeaways from Home Minister Amit Shah’s inaugural address at the 59th DGPs/IGPs conference in Bhubaneswar on Friday – ( a) satisfaction at the significant achievements leading to improvements in the security situation in Jammu Kashmir, the northeast and states affected by left wing extremism , ( b) demand of focus on the emerging security challenges.
In the instant analysis , it reflects a big change in observation of the situation across the country , but more importantly for the geo-strategically important territory of Jammu and Kashmir . The shift is from a worry about the situation in J&K for over 30 years to the satisfaction. This needs to be understood in a holistic manner not in the piece meal manner in which it used to be in the past.
This satisfaction emerges out of the overall improved situation in which the commoners can breathe easily and plan their daily life to the future prospects without any fear of interruption by violence . The fear of guns, grenades and bombs has disappeared to a large extent. As a result of which the space for peace has been gained . It can be understood and appreciated only by those who have seen the harrowing times since late 1980s.
As Jammu and Kashmir is poised to enter 2025 , it beacons anew hope and promise . This has come about after long dark days and nights as we often call “ darkness in afternoon”, wherein there was absence of hope of a decent and safe life . This turnaround came after the abrogation of Article 370 that had kept the people hostage to a narrative and psyche not allowing them to understand the life beyond a cocooned vision imposed on them that they were everything and their geography was the ultimate. The twist was that it was given out as their identity which needed to be preserved with Article 370 an outcome of some peculiar circumstances in the history of 1947 when India, unfortunately happened to strengthen the western impression that it could not take any decision on its own without succumbing to the pressures of compromises and concessions .
These two Cs – compromise and concessions – were not only toward the people of Jammu and Kashmir who were told that they were different and deserved a different status than the countrymen in the rest of the nation, including dual citizenship , but also to Pakistan implying that good relations with the neighbouring country were possible only when J&K was given an exalted status with special rights and privileges .
Having said this , what is at stake now ? The answer to this question needs to be searched against the backdrop of what all has happened since August 5, 2019 when Article 370 was done away with . Terrorists were brought to justice and foundations of their ecosystem rocked . The political green signal to security forces to act freely against terrorists and their supporters , and security forces’ actions against the terror network made this possible. The whole thing was phrased in a theme of zero tolerance toward terrorism.
Home Minister Amit shah’s statement that he is satisfied by the significant achievements made in improving the situation in J&K , among other terror and Naxalism hit areas, did not forget to mention the role security forces played for the smooth conduct of the general elections . The conduct of the Assembly elections was an unstated part of it. The large participation of the people in the Assembly polls which followed the general elections in Jammu and Kashmir made the whole exercise historic.
Now what are new challenges vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir ? These emerging challenges are partly in continuation of the old-time ones as also the new threats that have started appearing on the horizon. Pakistan , the culprit number one in bleeding Jammu and Kashmir has refused to learn lessons from the past . It has not been able to digest the peaceful conduct of the polls . It has started reviving its terror networks in Kashmir , resulting in several spine-chilling attacks on soldiers and civilians . It is taking advantage of the dual power system in J&K – it is attempting to place the elected government of National Conference against the Centre that is having control over the police and law and order as also on the administrative structure .
Security forces will have to play a key role in eliminating terrorism to smoothen space for the comfortable and harmonious working of the government.. This is the biggest challenge apart from checking infiltration on borders and neutralizing terrorist with specified assault on the whole of the ecosystem .
That is what the importance of Amit Shah’s messaging is .
