Introduction:
Jammu and Kashmir the state which is called heaven on Earth because of its sparkling blue lakes and snowcapped mountains. Tourists from all over the country visit it to see the marvels of nature and the religious places like Hazratbal Shrine, Vaishno Devi, etc. But the situation today is not so perfect anymore. The valley of Kashmir has been ravaged by a wave of insurgence for decades. There have been many political and social causes for bringing the insurgence wave in this state which goes back to India’s independence and the partition period that followed it.
Early Causes
The insurgency and tensions in the local population has taken place due to the political situation prevalent during India’s independence. During the partition, Maharaja Hari Singh rule over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. It had a majority Muslim population. Most of the princely states were given the choice. Either join India or Pakistan but the Maharaja want to establish an independent state. To avoid pressure from both countries; he sign a standstill agreement with Pakistan to allow trade and travel with the country. [1]
The situation changed after the effects of violence due to partition spread to Kashmir. There was a revolt by Pro- Pakistan rebels who later supported by the Pashtun tribes took over much of western Kashmir. The Maharaja sought help from India but they agree to provide military assistance. If Maharaja sign the Instrument of Accession thus making Kashmir part of India. He agree to the conditions and the Indian Army was sent to the affected parts. This lead to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1948. The war finish with a cease-fire and lead to the creation of the present Line of Control. This has divide Kashmir into Pakistan administer Kashmir. This includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit- Baltistan and Indian administered Kashmir which includes the remaining Kashmir and Jammu and Ladakh.
After the war, there was a United Nations Commission set up for India and Pakistan. This called for demilitarisation of the valley first by Pakistan and later by India after which a referendum would be held in the valley. Both the countries did not remove their army citing different reasons and thus the referendum never occurred. Sheikh Abdullah was a prominent figure and played a central role in the politics of this state. He already was against the monarchy rule in Kashmir and was imprisoned many times for demanding a democratic state. He constantly demand a referendum which led to a fall of trust from the Indian government. He was imprisoned for almost 11 years. Later the Indo Pakistan war of 1965 start after Operation Gibraltar. Pakistan failed which sought to bring revolt in Kashmir Valley. The war again ended in a ceasefire and the Tashkent Declaration of 1965. This made the situation as it was before the war and they agree to the 1949 established Line of Control which was seen as a strategic defeat for Pakistan.
Rise of Nationalism and Islamic Element
All these constant wars and the apparent refusal to conduct a referendum lead to the rise of Kashmiri nationalism in the late 1970s. Elections in the state were also taking a religious tone as Congress would win in Jammu and Ladakh while National Conference would win in Kashmir. When the militant Maqbool Bhat was executed in 1984 it leads to large scale protests in the valley. The youth were getting inspired by Islamic revolutions in Iran and Afghanistan. Then chief minister started siding with Islamists to gain votes. His tenure leads to riots because of which he was dismissed and Jagmohan became the Governor. There was now a strong sense of establishing Islamic rule in Kashmir.
The 1987 rule was seen as an important election. In this, the popular Muslim United Front lost the election due to rigging by National Conference and Congress which frustrated the groups to join the armed insurgency. It was the start of the Mujahideen element in the state which remains. Due to rising insurgency and the threats by Islamic militants, there was a massive exodus of around 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits to different parts of the country. Due to the rise in militancy, the government started sending CRPF and army troops to the volatile areas and applying the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to give special power to the army to arrest a person without warrant and to shoot after giving due warning. It has been called draconian by the United Nations because it is said that many unarmed protesters have been killed in the subsequent years. Even the separatists have killed many soldiers who went to maintain peace and order.
Present Situation
Both countries still assert their dominance on the Kashmir issue. The Hurriyat Conference which consists of many parties still calls for total independence of Kashmir from India as well as Pakistan. After the start of the new century, there have been many events that restarted the violent struggle of the early 1990s. The militancy slowly decreased after the 9/11 attacks as many of the militant groups were run by Pakistan aid. The flare-up of the situation again started after the killing of Burhan Wani in 2016 who was commander of the militant organization Hizbul Mujahideen. He was popular in social media, especially among the Kashmiri youth. Thousands attended his funeral which was followed by massive anti-India protests. Around 100 people got killed and thousands injured in the unrest that followed.
The most recent development was the abrogation of Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also article 35-A which defined the permanent residents of the state. It followed the total communication blockade in the whole state and section 144 was imposed in Kashmir Valley. Many prominent political leaders like Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were kept under house arrest. The decision is seen as scraping the last chance of resolving the dispute peacefully and many say it was a betrayal on the trust of Kashmiris but it was welcomed by people in Jammu and Ladakh who saw the laws as very Kashmir centric which only brought funds to the valley keeping other parts of the state undeveloped.
Conclusion
The Kashmir conflict has now been going on for 70 years. People there have died waiting for any cheerful ending to the political and religious saga. Both the countries have constantly claimed the area and are showing no signs of any referendum happening as independence for the state can be seen as a jolt on the pride of both the countries. But their constant rivalry has made the plight of the valley even deeper. Even other parts of the state like Jammu and Ladakh have suffered under the political fiasco as most of the attention and funds go into the valley leaving these parts with very little representation and less development.
The power struggle within the state has lead to enmity among the people. With the abrogation of the articles that gave special status to the state the referendum option looks non-existent but it is the closest to a peaceful solution or if the government promises the kind of development it did that can happen with demilitarisation of the valley then perhaps a bright future can lie ahead for the locals of all regions in the state.
References:
[1] Erin Blakemore, The Kashmir Conflict: How did it start ?, National Geographic, (March 2, 2019), https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/03/kashmir-conflict-how-did-it-start/
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