Undeclared internal war in Kashmir: Chidambaram

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Srinagar, May 13: There is an “undeclared internal war” going on in Kashmir, the Mehbooba Mufti-led government is just a “farce”, and the state is on the brink of breaking apart – these and many other arguments formed a damning article written by former Union Minister P Chidambaram.

Titled ‘Across the aisle: India is failing the test on J-K, the article published by The Indian Express on Sunday saw Chidambaram mincing no words while describing the current situation in Kashmir.

His entire argument was based on “six pillars that hold India together” and how they have been “damaged” while dealing with J&K.

One among them was how “the King” was expected to “never raise the sword against his own people”.

“With great sorrow, it must be admitted that there is an undeclared internal war in the Kashmir Valley. The muscular, militaristic approach to quell dissent (including stone-pelting) has pushed the Valley to the brink of disaster…The PDP-BJP coalition government lacks even a shred of legitimacy, yet the Chief Minister will not end the farce that is becoming a tragedy,” Chidambaram said.

Among other “damaged pillars”, Chidambaram listed, was the Constitutional provision to the state.

Article 370, he said, was an historical compact between the Union of India and the Ruler of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir.

“Is it the intention to breach that agreement or ask for the repeal of the new Article 30 or 40 years hence?” he asked.

The “apolitical” nature of armed forces was yet another “pillar” that did not stood as it should have been in Kashmir.

Chidambaram referred to the antithesis between the recent all-party meet in J&K on ceasefire (and how it resolved to call upon the Government of India on it) and the Army Chief’s statement declaring “Azadi is never going to happen.”

“The Army Chief defined Azadi (according to his perception) and warned ‘Azadi is not going to happen, never… If you want to fight us, then we will fight you with all our force’. Was that the Central government’s official answer to the demand for a unilateral ceasefire?” he asked.

The other “damaged pillar”, according to him, was “the Council of Ministers will be collectively responsible to the legislature and the people.”

Exposing the fault-lines between the alliance partners, Chidambaram opined that the Council of Ministers in J&K was “hopelessly divided” with one half acting as if it were the government of Jammu and the other half as if it were the government of Kashmir.

“Even as the Chief Minister demanded a unilateral ceasefire from Ramzan till Eid, the Deputy Chief Minister said “a ceasefire cannot be implemented from only one side,” he said.

The other pillar – every executive action will be responsible action – “stood on its head” in J&K, Chidambaram wrote.

“In J&K every executive action is an impulsive and insincere action. From inviting the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the swearing-in of the new government in May 2014 to the impromptu visit of Narendra Modi to the nuptials of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s granddaughter in December 2015 to the despatch of an all-party delegation to J&K in September 2016 to the triumphal announcement of a cross-border action (the so-called ‘surgical strike’) by the Army in end-September 2016 to the appointment of an interlocutor in October 2017, there was not one decision that was part of a well-thought-out policy.”

As such, he said, no one in Kashmir believed in the sincerity of the government of India.

“As every day passes, I despair more. All that India, as a nation, has stood for —unity, integrity, pluralism, religious tolerance, a government accountable to the people, dialogue to resolve differences etc — are on test in J&K. India, as a nation, is failing the test,” he concluded.

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