Editor JK News Today
JK News Today Commentary
That Jammu and Kashmir is looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 6th visit to flag off much awaited Katra-Srinagar train is an understatement. They are keen to listen to him on their soil about the future plans he has for this territory as a step forward after an amazing victory delivered by Operation Sindoor against terrorism and its backers in just 88 hours in early May.
They want to hear him out not only about their own wish list, but also how they and their land stand in the nation and its narrative. They are eagerly waiting for Modi to spell that out. After the saga of victory against terrorism and enemy, what is in store for them? Prime Minister’s word is final for them, as he has delivered on everything that he promised so far.
It is unique visit of PM Modi to J&K ever since he assumed the office 11 years ago. The circumstances are different – challenges that Pakistan threw in the wake of brutal of brutal acts in Pahalgam on April 22nd and how these were surmounted through Operation Sindoor, not just avenging one horrific incident but leaving a message of life time for the enemy that it shouldn’t dare ever to mess with Kashmir- the integral part of India. The vale had rejected two-nation theory decades back and the massacres would not deter it from its commitment to the Indian nation under any threat.
When Prime Minister’s visit, scheduled for April 19th, was deferred due to the vagaries of weather, that time the whole context was different: the flagging off of Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat train was about adding yet another milestone in the connectivity and development sector in Jammu and Kashmir, and connecting the Valley to the rest of the country. That was a signal of uninterrupted journey to progress and fostering emotional and economic integration of the people of the Valley with the rest of the country.
That idea stays, but new dimensions have been added to it. No matter what enemy did in Pahalgam where it massacred 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists after distinguishing them on the basis of their religion, India’s journey in Jammu and Kashmir is on course. In April 19, there was a message that progress is continuing, now it is a message to the terrorists and their backers, your plans to disrupt this journey and connect between the peoples is bound to fall.
At that time, no one had foreseen even in their wildest of nightmares that Pahalgam would witness a terror attack, targeting tourists on the basis of their religion. It so happened that 25 out of 26 victims of the attack were Hindu tourists, and the 26th , a brave soul of Kashmir , who fought the terrorists to save guests , and sacrificed his life in doing so.
This was the deadliest attack on tourists in Kashmir, in its 36-years history of guns and grenades, disruptions and so on. The tragedy unfolded on April 22ndl. And within a fortnight’s time, India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7th and avenged the attack. Terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir lay in ruins. But Pakistan thought that it had to respond to avenge the killing of terrorists and their infrastructure, so it targeted civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s idea was to take revenge on the people of Jammu and Kashmir who stood as one with the whole of the nation against this horrific tragedy. Their horror at the site of the mass killings in Pahalgam was reflected in the outrage with which they condemned terror and Pakistan that had sponsored and executed it.
Prime Minister is coming to show his and the nation’s unwavering commitment to the people of J&K and their destiny liked with the country – the train is just one part of it. This would be played on the rail track on which the train will be chugging along the highest railway bridge – an engineering marvel in its own right standing at the height of 359 meters over river Chenab. Both the context of the bridge and the river Chenab has changed since then. The bridge has come to redefine itself as Himalayan high commitment to J&K and its development against all odds , and the river redefines the altered shape of the Indus Waters Treaty , suspended in the aftermath of the April 22nd Pahalgam massacre.
It’s time for new saga to be told.
