After to the “Pahalgam” and prior to the Pahalgam

Jammu and Kashmir is a gift to India. Natural beauty, full of flowers and fruits, mountain ranges, green meadows, blue river waters, dominate Kashmir. We have been to Srinagar capital city of Jammu and Kashmir. It is my first opportunity to visit spectacular city of Srinagar. We have started to Pahalgam. Police vigilance and checking in each furlong distance. We got fed up with the military investigation and enquiry about where we are going and who we are,  About one crore people are living in Kashmir but 7 Lakhs military personnel of various ranks are being posted for vigilance and to face and fight terrorists and invaders.

In one way Kashmir is being appeared as it is under military rule but not as under the administration of people’s’ elected government. What made to led to such situation in Kashmir. Still there is no confidence to people of Kashmir on Indian government. In order to escape, there are many attempts to stamp the people of Kashmir as terrorists. Is it the reality? or we have to observe any political reason behind this is hiding?

Sheikh Abdullah was first prime minister. In his regime Land reforms were implemented with a slogan of “Land to the tiller”. Lands were seized without giving compensation and lands were distributed to the people. As and when governments have changed, the then new governments without implementing land reforms, new laws were enacted in such a way that to halt the land reforms. There are no families who do not have lands. They are cultivating paddy, apple lichee fruits. We cannot see poverty there. In such a state why this anarchism? Politics of post independence period have given life and employment to people. But people of Kashmir lost the confidence on Indian government as several mistakes of it with the lust for power. Terrorism got strengthened taking advantage of the situation. In this process Pakistan also abetted terrorists. As our Indian government pushed people of Kashmir intro disbelief, Pakistan got a chance to interfere and at last invade many times.

At the time of trip to Srinagar, myself, Ramakrishna Panda and Azeez Pasha, all national secretaries, CPI, have paid a visit to Pahalgam as well. All along the way to every furlong distance there is one police camp.  For 75 lakhs people there are 7 lakhs either police personnel or military jawans.  We would like to see even Sindhoora firing place. But all roads to that area were closed. However, with great difficulty we could reach to Pahalgam. We could chitchat with tiny retail merchants and syces (helpers for horse riding). There is no resemblance to Modi’s rhetoric statements and realities expressed by retail traders, common people etc.

In the Pahalgam ghastly incident of attack by terrorists on innocent Indian tourists, 22 tourists lost their precious lives. Modi government just gave mere one lakh rupees to each deceased family and felt as its responsibility is over. But whereas distributed ₹ one crore to each family of deceased. 500 families were being evacuated from the place of ghastly incident. Nobody took care of them so far.

Aftermath of Sindhoora operation five war jets are being demolished. According to border living people we lost many of our war bases, and several are migrating to inside, in result of attack by Pakistan. Entire national expected that our military forces re occupy Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK). But war was stopped in middle. Modi is utilising Sindhoora operation for election propaganda. As Modi instigating tourists to Kashmir are being frightened. Tiny retail merchants are unable to survive. Prior to Pahalgam incident more than 1000 horses used to wait but now days hardly 100 hundred horses are there. No tourists are coming to Kashmir. There are no tourists who like to go towards mountains. In this sorrowful period also Modi is utilising this incident for elections. Such is the venomous politics of Modi.

There are no adequate police forces. It symbolises what?

That is the reason why even now People of Kashmir do not have confidence on the government. For this situation, central politics which have started during Indira Gandhi period and the same have reached to climax.

Between Democracy and Disempowerment: Kashmir’s Political Crossroads

Post-independence, the political history of Jammu and Kashmir has been marked by a series of tumultuous and defining events. One of the most significant was the arrest of the region’s tallest and most influential leader, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, by the Central government.

Sheikh Abdullah, often referred to as the 'Lion of Kashmir', was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. A charismatic mass leader, he played a pivotal role in shaping the political consciousness of the region during the tumultuous years following the partition of the subcontinent.

He was widely credited for carrying out radical land reforms in the 1950s under the slogan ‘Land to the tiller’, a transformative policy that broke the centuries-old feudal stranglehold and redistributed land to poor peasants. This move not only cemented his popularity among the masses but also triggered deep socio-economic changes in the agrarian landscape of Kashmir.

However, his growing assertion of regional autonomy and his stance on Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 brought him into confrontation with the Indian establishment. In 1953, in a dramatic turn of events, Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed from office and subsequently arrested—an action that sowed deep seeds of mistrust between Srinagar and New Delhi, the effects of which continue to echo in the region’s politics to this day. Shiekh’s arrest also marked the erosion of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy.

Since Sheikh Abdullah’s arrest, Centre-State relations in Jammu and Kashmir remained tense and progressively deteriorated, reaching a new low in 1984. That year, the Central government engineered a political defection within the ruling National Conference, leading to the dismissal of Dr. Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister. In his place, Ghulam Mohammad Shah—Farooq's brother-in-law and a dissident within the party—was installed as the head of the government. Shah’s nearly two-years rule was marked by law and order problems leading to frequent curfews.

The eruption of militancy in 1989 and the appointment of Jagmohan as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir further worsened the situations. According to officials figures more than 40,000 people were killed since the inception of militancy in the region.

The protracted presidential rule from 1990 to 1996 created a prolonged democratic vacuum, eroding public trust in political institutions and further deepening the sense of disenfranchisement among the people. During this period, the absence of elected governments and the dominance of security-centric governance led to widespread human rights concerns and a deepening of the conflict narrative.

The restoration of democracy in 1996 gave people a respite from the long-drawn-out bureaucratic rule.

However, on August 5, 2019, the Central government’s unilateral action where it stripped the special constitution position of Jammu and Kashmir and split the region into two federally controlled Union Territories again drifted the people of the region away from the New Delhi.

Even after more than nine months since Omar Abdullah’s government took office in October 2024, public disillusionment remains high. The promised restoration of statehood is yet to materialize, and the prevailing dual power structure—split between the elected government and the centrally appointed Lieutenant Governor—continues to hamper effective governance. This overlapping authority has led to administrative confusion, policy delays, and a growing sense of frustration among the people.

To assuage the hurt and alienation of the people, the government should prioritize the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. This move would not only fulfill a long-standing promise but also reaffirm faith in democratic processes and representative governance. Restoring statehood is essential to bridging the trust deficit, empowering local institutions, and ensuring that the aspirations of the region’s people are addressed through a responsive and accountable administration.

#KashmirPolitics #RestoreStatehood #PeopleFirst #TruthOverPropaganda #DemocracyMatters