Binoo Joshi

JK News Today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s definition of “Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat”, while replying to debate on the bill seeking extension of President’s rule in J&K for next six months should serve as an eye-opener to all those who have been citing these phrases to remind the Modi government to change its zero tolerance to terrorism policy in this terrorism-hit state.

These three phrases were first used by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Kashmir in 2000. His aim was to pull Kashmir out of the vortex of violence and terrorism.

But today, J&K is faced with bigger challenges where the terrorism has assumed unprecedentedly dangerous dimensions in which Pulwama type incidents have spelled out the times ahead, unless checked in tracks. And, in the current context, Amit Shah gas given an apt meaning to these three terms.

In his impressive presentation of facts and figures and the history of J&K that highlighted the failures of the past as compared to the successes achieved during the past few months, Amit Shah gave a new and wonderful meaning to the phrase “insanyat’

According to him, Insaniyat (humanity) means getting toilets for women folk in J&K, who were exposed to many risks earlier. Added to this is ridding the women folk of smoke in their kitchens. “Now they have got LPG cylinders” to use. “This transformation means Inasaniyat.”

On “Jamohooriyat” or democracy, he said that the BJP government has given real democracy to Jammu and Kashmir where 40,000 panchayats were elected without a drop of blood being spilled during the whole poll season. “Talk about the democracy gains meaning only when the people find that their democratic aspirations are being addressed to at their doorsteps. This is what we have done,” Amit Shah said blunting all the criticism that was mounted by the opposition at the Modi government for not holding the Assembly elections in J&K. The state is under central rule since June 20, when the then Governor N. N. Vohra imposed Governor’s rule following the resignation of the Mehbooba Mufti Government. The Government had come into minority after BJP withdrew support to the PDP-led coalition government on June 19.

Home Minister made it clear that “Kashmiriyat” doesn’t mean tolerance of anti-India slogans or activities. He questioned in the right perspective that was persecuting Kashmiri Pandits and making them flee  their homes in the Valley , “Kashmiriyat.”

He said Kashmiriyat means harmony and maintenance of the sufi culture of  Kashmir