#dnaEdit | Kashmir unrest: Govt needs to focus on people's anger against security forces

It seems the protests that broke out in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen (HuJ) commander Burhan Wani, and the hundreds of people who were fatally injured because of the pellets fired by the security forces, have almost been forgotten by the parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including the separatists, who want a permanent solution. There is something cynical on the part of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the National Conference (NC) and the Hurriyat that they want to use the tense situation created by the protesters, who have risked their lives, to strengthen their bargaining position as it were.

The PDP and the NC must take a clear stance against violent protests, where children and teenagers are being used as cannon fodder. It would only enhance the political legitimacy of the Hurriyat — it has none now — if it were to condemn the incidents where youngsters are being placed in the line of fire. The argument put forward by many of the sympathisers of dissent in the Valley and outside that the protests are spontaneous is specious and dishonest.

There is no denying the fact that the security forces’ harassment of the civilians is creating a rift which is only widening by the day. There is simmering resentment against the security forces. The state and central governments will have to find ways to make the relationship between the people and the forces amicable. The fact that in the popular imagination the army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are being seen as an occupation forces is both unfortunate and dangerous. There is need for an image makeover for the forces because jihadi infiltration from across the border may necessitate the presence of the forces for a long time. It is necessary for the army and the CRPF to work with the local populace.

The solution to the so-called Kashmir problem cannot be addressed anytime soon. It is necessary for the central government, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), not to be riled by the talk of the separatists — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the other Hurriyat factions — that the Kashmir question cannot be settled within the confines of the Constitution. It is a familiar maximalist position. They feel that if they were to say anything conciliatory they would lose face. The separatists are keen to create their own political space. They argue that there should be trilateral talks among India, Pakistan and the Kashmir groups from both the sides of the border. Pakistan is not keen on including the Kashmir separatists in the talks. Islamabad’s position is clear: It is of the view that Kashmir should become part of Pakistan. So, the separatists are on a weak wicket. 

The Modi government at the Centre and the PDP-BJP coalition government in Srinagar should focus on sorting out the relations between the army and the local people. It may be necessary to form army-civilian coordination committees in towns and villages which ensures that ordinary people feel secure and they can move about freely. The check-posts need to be monitored constantly because the daily friction occurs at these points, and over time it generates resentment and there is a periodic explosion of anger over this. It is in the realm of possibility to smoothen the relations between the people and the forces and it will improve the overall situation tremendously. This does not preclude the political dialogue with the separatists, who may be in a hopeless minority but who need to be heard as often as they choose to speak.