Modi in Jammu and Kashmir

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is arriving in Jammu and Kashmir today. This visit to the union territory has been scheduled at a time when the Lok Sabha Elections are due anytime. After the neutralisation of Article 370 and 35 A political situation is quite different in Jammu and Kashmir. Regional parties have been relegated to the background due to the political disarray and absence of political agenda to take the people along. Central Government’s monitoring of Jammu and Kashmir especially from 2019 has created new political alternatives that are quite different from the traditional ones. Not only has that space of the secessionist groups that dominated the local discourse has witnessed decline. The reason being the centre’s ban on the organisations that provided the ideological basis to radicalisation. He is arriving to consolidate the gains to reinforce the environment for peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir. It can be witnessed from the number of projects he is inaugurating. These projects cost ₹30,500 crore. It includes the IIM’s. The main thrust is on infrastructural development in Jammu and Kashmir that includes the new terminal building  of Jammu airport and the common user  facility petroleum depot in Jammu. Prime Minister will dedicate projects pertaining to several areas to the nation. The sectors covered in these projects will include health, education, rail, road, aviation, petroleum, civic infrastructure besides many more. These initiatives  are timely keeping in view the decades of ethno-religious conflict that has destabilised Jammu and Kashmir and led to religious cleansing of the minorities from Kashmir. Leading to creation of socio-political faultlines. The security challenges persist. The recent targeted killings of the non-locals from Punjab  point towards the existence of modules that are in search of opportunities to put Jammu and Kashmir on the boil. Indian democracy   is regarded as the best model  of inclusive nation building in the world that has stood the test of the times and led to upholding the human values. Prime Minister Modi with his firm grip on geo politics and apt political timing has shown in his  two consecutive terms that he means business when it comes to governance and can take decisive steps. People in Jammu and Kashmir  look upon him to bring lasting peace to the union territory that has witnessed enormous bloodshed and genocidal attrition orchestrated by Pakistan and its mercenaries. Pakistan and its patron China has lost no opportunity to make Northern Frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir vulnerable. For that minorities were targeted in Kashmir and local people suffered collateral damages as they were caught between the devil and the deep sea. The worst tragedy that eclipsed Kashmir was the religious cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits  due to emergence of terrorism. It led to social subversion and  refugee problem that is still unresolved. Besides the local Kashmiris suffered in terms of development career avenues and losing the family members. This gap has to be bridged and local Kashmiri youth have to be mainstreamed and made equal partners in the national development.So that Pakistan does not engineer fissures in the society and violate the peace loving society of Kashmiris. If India has to secure the Northern Frontier in Jammu and Kashmir then it has to gain the lost ground and settle the subversive penetration once for all by taking the bull by the horns. The erstwhile  princely state of Jammu and Kashmir had acceded to India by signing the same standard  form of Instrument of Accession that was signed by more than 500 princely states. But due to lack of political will a part of the state is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and used as a launching pad of terrorism. The occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir have to be liberated and the unanimous resolution of the Parliament passed   on 22nd February  in  1994 to reclaim the POJK realised  in letter and spirit. It must be underlined that  the POJK refugees who got stranded in Jammu in 1947 need to be delivered justice in totality. Their right on their homeland in POJK has to be recognised. The refugee problem in Jammu and Kashmir that started with POJK refugees in 1947 and continued till 1990 with the religious cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits has to be addressed. So that religious faultiness are not allowed to create fissures in the society. People of all religious denominations must be given their due share  in Jammu and Kashmir to sustain religious harmony and brotherhood. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must address these issues and assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that he will enter the electoral fray this time to destroy the  religious fault lines and subversion injected in the polity of Jammu and Kashmir. He has the will and the political wherewithal to bring peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir that has been elusive for decades. People are waiting eagerly for his discourse and vision for “Naya Jammu and Kashmir” eagerly today.