JK News Today
Kashmir is happy that the party that they voted in large numbers is going to form the government but they are also keen that the peace that their land has should stay as it is at the moment . Their happiness is marked with a sense of anxiety as well that the political tug of war between National Conference and BJP may cause some dent .
They give credit to Centre for bringing in normalcy and certainty in their lives . They have developed a huge trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words and they believe he will deliver on his word irrespective of the verdict that has been delivered by the Valley . They love normalcy, zero-shutdown and zero-stone pelting and 100 per cent school session and increased focus on the cultural and social issues . More striking is the return of night life that Kashmiris had been missing for over three decades.
As intelligent people as they are , Kashmiris have made their point through their vote as to what did they want in terms of their political relevance and recognition of the same . At the same time, they have underlined a message that the vote to NC is not for rolling back what has been achieved whether in day-o-day life or some hope for future. . Therefore , going back in time and raking up the old and buried issues is not on the mind of the majority of the people in Kashmir.
Therefore, it is just not all about repairing relations with the Centre , but also a task for the NC-led coalition government to heal the wounds within the Valley. The vote is not final. Its connotations are different this time . Kashmir is seeking to maintain the current environment that has come into being after the abrogation of Article 370 – more than tourist footfalls which indeed is something great for the people in the Valley enriching their economy and helping them brand their land as that of peace and harmony – it is the peace within their homes that is critically important to them. That means that there are no graves of the unnatural and violence-driven deaths of the young . Their distances with outside world have narrowed through a new highway linking them to Jammu and the rest of India and with the rail coming from Jammu to Srinagar their economy will go several notches up.
In that sense all their hopes are pinned on Prime Minister , and Home Minister Amit Shah . They trust the word of the Centre more than that of anyone else . The NC leadership will have to have cordial relations with the Centre as also with the Lieutenant Governor in Jammu and Kashmir as they know that peace at their homes, neighbhourhood and in their towns and villages is due to the work done by the Centre and its representative Lieutenant Governor . They have rediscovered their dignity in peaceful life that they are living . The dignity is the first victim in violence where the dead are left on roadside and the families had nothing but to mourn the losses. The change today is because of the extraordinary efforts and work of the Centre .
Kashmiris are looking for employment and other facilities which they hope the new government would deliver as it has to honour the mandate . They don’t want their mandate to be misinterpreted – frustration with some of the measures is there , but the arc of peace which has come to them , they don’t want to sacrifice .
(Binoo Joshi is Editor JK News Today , former correspondent of BBC and IANS )