Security of political workers in Kashmir, particularly those belonging to the BJP, is a matter of grave concern that must be addressed but NC and PDP are using the issue to create a new separatist wave

The promising era of ‘Naya Kashmir’ that started after the dumping of Article 370 coupled with the incredible gains the armed forces have made in the valley by exterminating dreaded terrorists in the last few years has put J&K on the path of a positive change. 

But sadly, the blood of political workers devoted to the Indian cause in Kashmir continues to spill unabated and a constant threat to life looms large over all such nationalists. On top of the target-list are mainly those who are affiliated with the BJP. Sheikh Wasim Bari being the most recent example. 

Bari, along with his father Bashir Ahmed and brother Umar Bashir who also happened to be the party’s office-bearers, was shot dead by Lakshar-e-Taiba terrorists in the Bandipora town of North Kashmir on the night of July 9, 2020. Bari, a young Kashmiri politician just 28 years of age, was a popular BJP face in the valley. His killing has raised several questions on the security situation of regional leaders in Kashmir, especially those from the BJP. 

Seven out of the ten security guards deployed for Bari and his family’s safety were suspended on grounds of negligence as they failed to protect him and two of his family members. The attack had taken place within a stone’s throw distance from the main police station and a security forces camp, which justifies the security lapse blame. 

Bari’s story was one of courage, determination, and unadulterated patriotism. He had joined the BJP after the 2014 Assembly elections in J&K in which he fought as an independent candidate but could not be victorious. His dedication and hard work made him a prominent party figure in Bandipora. He was a proud Indian who would openly condemn Pakistani terrorism in Kashmir. As a member of a nationalist party, he had naturally become an eyesore for Jihadi groups operating in the valley. 

The assassination of Sheikh Waseem Bari and his family members has led to a tremendous escalation in fear for BJP members in Kashmir. More than 80 people associated with the party in Jammu and Kashmir, including leaders and party workers, have demanded security cover or upgradation of the same. 

Remember this is not the first time that a BJP leader has been killed by Jihadists in Kashmir the recent past. Gul Mohammad Mir, senior local level BJP leader and district vice-president of the party, was murdered in Anantnag in May 2019. Another BJP district vice-president, Shabir Ahmad Bhat, was killed in Pulwama in August 2018 whereas back in November 2017 a young BJP worker from Shopian named Gowhar Bhat was slaughtered in the name of Jihad. 

The reverberations of increased vulnerability have been recorded even in the BJP’s opposite political camp. The National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have joined the fray in expressing their fear about political representatives being constantly in the hit list of terror operatives.

The anxiety that has gripped the political fraternity in Kashmir is understandable and so is their demand for enhanced security. Furthermore, it is evident that in the present scenario terror outfits are seen to be targeting both Hindu and Muslims political workers alike - Waseem Bari being the most recent example, while not very long ago Kashmiri Pandit Sarpanch Ajay Pandita was murdered in cold blood by Pakistan backed terror outfit in Kashmir, The Resistance Front (TRF).

Hence, the current circumstances warrant the revisiting of the security-paradigm for local politicians in Kashmir set up by the central government and the J&K administration. Democratic representatives must be provided with an atmosphere of safety and tranquility for them to able to function smoothly in a region that is undergoing political transition. 

It is noteworthy that the security cover of about 500 people in J&K, most of whom were political workers, was removed in March 2019 following a decision taken by the then state administration. This step seems to have done more damage than good. Thus, the need arises for the augmentation of security rather than contraction. More so for the BJP cadre as they are not only seen as ambassadors of democracy but also as the flag-bearers of a nationalist party which stands against anything that challenges or threatens the fact that Kashmir is an integral part of India. 

NC and PDP trying to create a new separatist wave

It is astonishing how the spindoctors sitting in Kashmir are conveniently trying to present the issue of security of political workers as a consequence of the revocation of Article 370. The NC and the PDP have brazenly used the martyrdom of bravehearts like Bari and Pandita to cater to their vested interests. Representatives of the two parties have gone on record claiming that the Modi government’s scrapping of the discriminatory law has led to an environment of insecurity for local leadership in the valley. 

So basically the followers of the Muftis and the Abdullahs, the two political families whose separatists tendencies are well known, are advocating for the lowering of the national flag and giving into Pakistan’s nefarious ambitions. 

These two political parties have always fought elections under the ambit of the Indian Constitution while refusing to join the Indian mainstream. They have no empathy or respect for the martyrs. They never come forward to unequivocally condemn Islamic terror nor do they hold Pakistan directly responsible for continually fomenting trouble in Kashmir. On the contrary, these duplicitous forces have used the gruesome killing of Wasim Bari and his kin as a fresh opportunity to dispute the idea of a united India. It has reinvigorated them to portray Article 370 as some sort of a shield that had been protecting Kashmir for decades until the Modi government decided to repeal it in 2019 resulting in all hell breaking loose. 

The NC and the PDP leadership have always shied away from admitting the involvement of local Kashmiri hand in terror plots. They have been covertly working for decades as the B-team of the Hurriyat. The seditionist and terror-abetting Hurriyat, which has lost its mojo in Kashmir to a great extent after August 2019 and finally having its patron Syed Ali Shah Geelani leave it to fend for itself, has always found its sentiments echoed by the NC and the PDP. And now the two parties are trying to paint a picture of supposed “safety” of political workers that existed in the pre-Article 370 era. This is nothing new but certainly disconcerting given that Kashmir needs to move on from this NC-PDP-Hurriyat cottage industry. 

At a juncture when J&K is looking to usher into a new era of political stability and development, stakeholders like the National Conference are playing a dangerous dual game to consolidate a new narrative in the valley. On the one hand, Farooq Abdullah - after his release from detention - diverts from launching a direct criticism on Modi government’s historic step of doing away with the Article 370 to demanding the restoration of statehood for J&K while his son Omar Abdullah declares abstinence from participating in the electoral process until the Article 370 is restored and the Union Territory of J&K reverts to its erstwhile status of a full-fledged state. 

And on the other hand, the cadre of the same party are raking up emotions by characterising the killings of local leaders as a consequence of the riddance of the unjust law. This is top-level sinister politics aimed at holistically destabilising J&K’s political future. To create friction and unrest, workers of the NC and the PDP have even alleged that the Centre is deliberately not providing security cover to local politicians in Kashmir and instead giving it only to the BJP members.

Therefore, it is safe to argue that a vicious parallel agenda is being run at the behest of the top leadership of the two major political outfits to carry forward the legacy of separatism and detachment using the security situation of local political workers as a prop.

As the region gears up for the resumption of the electoral process, the last thing it wants is an ‘old wine in new bottle’ kind of a situation that entails the NC and the PDP fighting elections while simultaneously using their cadre on the ground to instil and encourage a rebellious emotion within the local population. Should this be allowed to happen, it will serve as a major blow to the Modi government’s efforts of creating a ‘Naya Jammu Kashmir’. 

image source: thehitavada.com