Challenge for Leaders in J&K: Restore Shrinking Political Space
01 Oct, 2010 · 3250
Ashok Bhan urges political parties in J&K to shelve factionalism for restoring political stability in the region
Political analysts will keenly watch the proceedings of the J&K Legislatures, which go into session later this week. Expectedly the media has started forecasting the proceedings to be stormy. The sessions come at a very awkward time for the Government- days after widespread violence that engulfed the valley that led to arson, damage to Government property and unfortunate deaths. The 8-point initiative of dialogue and CBMs continues to be widely debated. The initiative may start getting implemented on the ground while the legislatures are in session. The wounds of the recent unrest are still fresh in the minds of the people. Mercifully, the stalemate has been broken and educational institutions have started functioning. The most worrying factor in the recent turmoil was the re-emergence of separatists and consequent shrinking of space for the mainstream parties. This is a serious development, which needs immediate attention. Can the sessions be utilized to move forward on the path of peace and restore this shrinking political space?
A functioning democracy is a wonderful experience. Periodically the executive has to face the legislatures and be accountable to the people through them. An active opposition is the soul of this process. It is the bounden duty of the opposition to keep the Government on its toes. Having said that, there come occasions when for a bigger cause for the betterment of the people, the political differences can be set aside. People’s faith in democracy needs to be strengthened and not shaken to a point of no return. People must not lose faith in an elected Government as it will be a setback to the political system and every political being will be the sufferer.
Political space can be lost very fast. This is particularly true in conflict situations where the state is pitted against individuals or groups who wish to usurp power through violent means. Sometimes terror and on other occasions mass uprising by misleading people promising something unattainable are used to make politicians irrelevant. A situation is created where political activists are compelled to lie low.
Restoration of political space is a painstaking and slow process. All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are well aware of this. After terrorist violence and widespread disturbances leading to Governor’s rule in 1990, it took nearly 7 years to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in late 1996. Many of those who are privy to the difficulties encountered in revival of political process at that time are still in the arena representing various shades of political opinion. A special responsibility is cast upon them to ensure that political space is regained as early as possible.
The proceedings will be widely watched in the rest of the country and outside. Pakistan and hard line separatists would like confusion to prevail and democratic process to be weakened. It is in such an environment that their anti-India agenda thrives. They would like the security forces and police to be made the whipping boys responsible for all the problems facing the state. The people who engineered violence will watch and laugh, as no fingers will ever be pointed at them. Sure the Government must be held accountable but it must be done through debate and discussion. Every minute available must be used to analyze what went wrong and what is the way forward to peace and development.
Protests leading to interruptions at this critical juncture will only mean playing into the hands of those who wish the political space to further shrink. The peace process initiated after the visit to Jammu and Kashmir of All Party Delegation has to be facilitated to progress. Extreme positions on some of the provisions of this process based on known party lines can’t take us far. Every political party that matters having been a party to the recent discourse must put its weight behind this formulation aimed to bring peace back to the state.
Can a strong message go to the separatists and pro-Pak elements not to mislead the people and exploit their sentiments? Let a message go that the Government through elected representatives of the people will take forward the latest peace initiative to its logical conclusion. Let the session end with a pointed resolve by the people’s representatives to visit the nook and corner of the state to give a fillip to grassroots political activities and carry a message of peace, a message of all- round and equitable development of all regions and groups and a message that our political system is strong and flexible enough to entertain diverse opinions. The Government will have to provide enough evidence during the session of their willingness to facilitate such a process irrespective of political affiliations of the members. Let the so-called ‘stormy session’ be converted into a much desirable opportunity to restore the political space of mainstream parties, particularly in the valley.
A functioning democracy is a wonderful experience. Periodically the executive has to face the legislatures and be accountable to the people through them. An active opposition is the soul of this process. It is the bounden duty of the opposition to keep the Government on its toes. Having said that, there come occasions when for a bigger cause for the betterment of the people, the political differences can be set aside. People’s faith in democracy needs to be strengthened and not shaken to a point of no return. People must not lose faith in an elected Government as it will be a setback to the political system and every political being will be the sufferer.
Political space can be lost very fast. This is particularly true in conflict situations where the state is pitted against individuals or groups who wish to usurp power through violent means. Sometimes terror and on other occasions mass uprising by misleading people promising something unattainable are used to make politicians irrelevant. A situation is created where political activists are compelled to lie low.
Restoration of political space is a painstaking and slow process. All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are well aware of this. After terrorist violence and widespread disturbances leading to Governor’s rule in 1990, it took nearly 7 years to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in late 1996. Many of those who are privy to the difficulties encountered in revival of political process at that time are still in the arena representing various shades of political opinion. A special responsibility is cast upon them to ensure that political space is regained as early as possible.
The proceedings will be widely watched in the rest of the country and outside. Pakistan and hard line separatists would like confusion to prevail and democratic process to be weakened. It is in such an environment that their anti-India agenda thrives. They would like the security forces and police to be made the whipping boys responsible for all the problems facing the state. The people who engineered violence will watch and laugh, as no fingers will ever be pointed at them. Sure the Government must be held accountable but it must be done through debate and discussion. Every minute available must be used to analyze what went wrong and what is the way forward to peace and development.
Protests leading to interruptions at this critical juncture will only mean playing into the hands of those who wish the political space to further shrink. The peace process initiated after the visit to Jammu and Kashmir of All Party Delegation has to be facilitated to progress. Extreme positions on some of the provisions of this process based on known party lines can’t take us far. Every political party that matters having been a party to the recent discourse must put its weight behind this formulation aimed to bring peace back to the state.
Can a strong message go to the separatists and pro-Pak elements not to mislead the people and exploit their sentiments? Let a message go that the Government through elected representatives of the people will take forward the latest peace initiative to its logical conclusion. Let the session end with a pointed resolve by the people’s representatives to visit the nook and corner of the state to give a fillip to grassroots political activities and carry a message of peace, a message of all- round and equitable development of all regions and groups and a message that our political system is strong and flexible enough to entertain diverse opinions. The Government will have to provide enough evidence during the session of their willingness to facilitate such a process irrespective of political affiliations of the members. Let the so-called ‘stormy session’ be converted into a much desirable opportunity to restore the political space of mainstream parties, particularly in the valley.
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