Discuss the need to seek out the Kashmiri mess.

1st November 2019

TOPIC: Article 370 (Paper-II)

The Prime Minister and Home minister have cited two reasons to justify the dilution of article 370. The first is the need for a new approach to ending violence in J&K. the second is that the abrogation of article 370 has been the core agenda of Bhartiya Jana Sangh since the early 1950s.

Background

• The government has found the fact of sustained violence in J&K a legitimate basis to pursue an ideological agenda.
• But no one knows yet whether the dilution of Article of 370 will mark the end of violence or lead to more killings.
• On August 8, Prime Minister Modi said that by diluting Article 370, the government had fulfilled the wishes of Sardar Patel, Syama Prasad Mookerjee and B.R. Ambedkar.

Understanding Nehru:

• For an objective assessment of Nehru’s role in J&K, we need to bear the following facts in mind.
• Nehru was an anti-imperialist with a clear ambition to shape a new world order beyond the rivalry of the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
• Given this conviction, he was sensitive to global opinions and obligations.
• His approach to J&K was clearly dictated by such an understanding.
• Nehru strongly believed that Pakistan was not a workable idea.
• Nehru expected that Partition would be temporary and that Pakistan would come back to India. He reasoned that Article 370 would gradually hollow out, creating conditions for J&K’s complete integration into India.
• Nehru had no role to play in the flawed policies that various regimes in New Delhi have designed for J&K since the 1990s.
• India’s policies were largely dictated by its deep state.
• We need to pause before we nail Nehru down for the Kashmir mess.

Many concerns:

• The dilution of Article 370 has come at a time when the relationship between Indian Muslims with India’s fast eroding secular polity is facing a severe strain.
• Furthermore, the relationship between Muslims in the rest of India and Kashmiri Muslims since independence has not been shaped by solidarity.
• In post-partition India, Muslims rejected any effort by the Muslim League to revive itself in India thus denouncing the politics of separatists in its entirety.
• The Indian Muslim community is at the moment disorganized. Being lynched is among the main concerns of Muslims today.

Conclusion

New Delhi should intend to integrate Kashmiris without grappling the prevailing concerns.