Special opinion piece of J K News Today
Binoo Joshi
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has put his finger on the right spot while identifying the challenge that Kashmir has become over the years for the Indian nation . His analysis that “ Kashmir is a challenge because of Pakistan,” is undisputable for the simple reason that Pakistan continues to meddle into the internal affairs of India and has unleashed not only violence but also vitiated the narrative in the Valley. This has created an atmosphere of uncertainty in the region .
Rajnath Singh is the one who understands Kashmir from his regular visits to the place , interaction with the people, and also because of the feedback that he had been receiving from the security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, it should be understood in clear terms that he doesn’t speak like the other prejudiced minds that have little or no understanding of the situation in Kashmir .
There are multiple ways that Pakistan has used to create uncertainty and instability in Kashmir to the extent that it is posing a big challenge to the Indian state to overcome the volatile situation. The current situation in Kashmir is a complex wheel within the wheels of complexities that has the potential to destablise the whole of south Asia with its vibrations reverberating at the international level .
Why Pakistan should be interested in creating trouble in Kashmir ? The apologists of Pakistan’s role in the neighbouring country and some of them in Kashmir trace the origin to the two-nation theory propounded by Mohammad Ali Jinnah who worked for and insisted on a separate nation for Muslims of undivided India for his own flawed theories . The Muslim majority character of Jammu and Kashmir became an acute source of Pakistan’s narrative that J&K should have fallen within its geographical and political map boundaries . But the real reason for Pakistan was to have Kashmir’s waters for its plains . It is not satisfied with the contours of Indus Water Treaty , but wants more and more water , even from the rivers, the waters of which can be used by India in their entirety .
Rajnath Singh said “ Kashmir is a challenge because of the “ napak (disruptive ) activities of Pakistan .” This statement should be seen and read against the historical background of the all-out efforts of Pakistan to capture the waters of Kashmir ,. It has used the religion and the ideology of “ jihad” to achieve its objectives in Kashmir .
The Home Minister knows what exactly Pakistan wants , but he has acted and articulated his statements quite responsibly . The best thing that can be done is to expose Pakistani designs in a candid manner with all the evidence against Pakistan – the way it is keeping Line of Control and International Border hot , promotion of militancy .
There are two ways of overcoming the challenge posed by Pakistan in Kashmir . One, of course, is to embrace our own people . This phrase needs to be translated in a manner that could connect with the people with a very clear message that the Indian State is accommodative of dissent but that dissent should be natural and indigenous , like it is when the people protest against the power and water scarcity , absence of development . The outpouring of the political dissent should be within the democratic parameters and not at the behest of Pakistan . Once that starts happening , the operations of the security forces would also subside and remove a major element of confrontation that has many unfortunate and uncalled for consequences .
Second, the Government of India should tap the youth that want to build their careers . Let them build their ambitions as Kashmiris , and once they start doing that much of the challenge posed by Pakistan in destablising the situation would disappear .
Everything will have to be done by the country , because as Prime Minister Narendra Modi , declared “ will not mend its ways so easily.”
