Arun Joshi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, architect of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, made it a point to tell the nation that the people in Jammu and Kashmir have accepted all the changes made since. That is that in less than four years following the constitutional changes that did away with the semi-autonomous status of the erstwhile state, now split into two political maps of union territories, have started living with the new political and geographical realities.
This statement , made during his visit of J&K on Friday evening, outlined a new visions that the masses in the Union Territory have shown a new reality to the world of their volition in accepting the changes, rebuffing the skeptics who had spread premonition about the August 5 decisions. The Article 370 was rooted in the psyche of the Muslim majority of the erstwhile state , as despite having been rendered hollow over the decades , separate flag and constitution were in existence as symbols . The real content was in Article 35 A, which also was abrogated on August 5,2019 , which granted exclusive rights to land and jobs to natives of J&K only.
It was in June 2019 , less than five weeks before the Article 370 was abrogated , Amit Shah who was hardly a month-old in his office as Home Minister , had visited Kashmir , discussed and analysed the implications as to how the abrogation of Article 370 will play out in Kashmir , the only Muslim-majority state in the country . And now when August 5 decisions have placed new realities before the people , the Centre , too has a reason to make an assessment of the situation of the period.
Home Minister articulated his calculations and understanding of the changed situation to reinforce the point that the August 5 decisions have lived up wishes of the people in Jammu and Kashmir , rebuffing all those who had a different narratives to offer. The repeat of some of the statistics took place in 30 years from 1989 to 2019 – 42,000 killed– was only to underline the real-time change in the situation wherein people could move freely without being halted in their track to work places, schools and picnicking in gardens and alongside river banks. This change has attracted tourists from far and wide – 18.88 million visited J&K last year, and the G -20 meeting in Srinagar in May this year , were reflective of the peace dividends accrued since he abrogation of Article 370.
Amit Shah, made an interesting, and perhaps for the first time, a comment , during his speech at a cultural festival – named after Jhelum river’s ancient name Vitasta , that the “ people who have seen the last 30-40 years of history of Kashmir, find it a disputed and disturbed region,” and added that it was in the “ nature of Kashmir to move forward like an immortal flame despite having many issues “ This revelation was based on two facts that the history of Kashmir is not limited to 30-40 years , it is centuries -old place rich with history, culture, education and knowledge. The violence in 30 year period is past , and this cannot be lingered on in memory for long. It was time to wake up . this also showed that new Kashmir is replacing the violence-ridden Valley. This also is a fact that the effects of abrogation of Article 370 cannot be appreciated unless this 30-year-old history is removed or obliterated. The peace has come to Kashmir as a result of political will of the Modi government because it is true that Article 370 had become a wall between India and Kashmir and now when it has been removed the past cannot be erased because that would also undermine the peace dividends of the past four years. In fact these four years have become a source of revival of old Kashmir which was happy and peaceful, and at the same time opened new windows of wide opportunities to the youth of Kashmir.
(Arun Joshi is author of “Eyewitness Kashmir; Teetering on Nuclear War and senior journalist based in Jammu and Kashmir, writes on South Asian affairs)
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
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