The recent successful Panchayat (local bodies) election in Jammu and Kashmir was a real turning point and a much awaited good dose of good news in this otherwise long suffering region. The percentage of polling varied from a high of 90 per cent to the relatively less spectacular 72.4 per cent.
These variations aside, the elections were a spectacular success. The people made their preference know unambiguously. They want peace, they need development and above all they want to get on with their lives and stop being helpless pawns in esoteric and complex geo-strategic games.
Things were not always so bright and sunny in Kashmir. Trapped in a great power game since 1947, this region has caused four wars between neighbours India and Pakistan in the last 60 odd years. Since 1989, this region has been trapped in a death spiral of insurgency and terrorism. What began as an insurgency for independence was soon hijacked by Pakistan and turned into perpetually boiling Islamic jihadi terrorism.
The original idea of a Kashmiri "azadi" movement was perverted into an instrument to spearhead the bleeding of Indian lives and wealth by the diabolical minds at Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence.
The Indian state reacted to this runaway situation with a heavily militarised response. The Indian security forces began a classic counter-insurgency campaign to quell the growing violence. While the security foot print was heavy and violence remained at a high pitch, the Indian state did not forget the other basics of counter insurgency.
It tried to revitalise the local administration. It began intensive development activities in the region. It kept open the political process and held elections on schedule throughout the period of turbulence.
While the violence raged on, the Government tried to open political negotiations with the amiable elements of the separatist movement. The results of this perseverance were not immediately apparent. Due to the terror imposed on the people by the jihadis and the propaganda by their supporters, elections were undersubscribed for a long time. The benefits of the development activities took time to trickle down to the people. And Kashmir remained in turmoil.
Meanwhile the actions of the jihadis became more and more egregious. Car bombs in crowded market place, gunning down of innocent civilians, raping of women and abduction of children became more and more frequent. An entire generation has been lost to violence.
Gradually, the tide turned. People became angry and frustrated with perpetual violence, the senseless loss of lives and the lack of prospects for themselves and their children. They realised that the original movement has been hijacked to serve Pakistan’s own strategic needs and that they had become hapless pawns in the schemes of the jihadis and the puppet masters. They saw the incredible growth and development in the rest of India and realised that they had lagged behind due to the senseless violence which afflicted their state.
The people finally did the math and decided that they no longer needed to be pawns of a foreign power. They felt emboldened to try to shape their own destiny. The simplest and most effective way they could do it was to exercise their democratic right to vote.
And they did this in growing numbers. Thus the voting percentages in the past few elections started rising higher and higher and it reached its peak in this Panchayat (local bodies) election. The wheel has turned full circle.
From a state of near war, Kashmir has become quite a peaceful place today. Evidence of normal life is everywhere. One can see children in crisp white uniform walking to school every morning. One can see the hustle and bustle of daily life in all the bazaars and mandis of the towns and cities. New shops and department stores are springing up every day and cell phone companies are pushing newer and better phones with Web browser capabilities to a population hungry for technology.
And tourism, the lifeline of the economy, is booming like never before. Even Bollywood is back to the verdant valleys of Kashmir. And the definitive sign of the turnaround would be the soon to be completed rail link between Kashmir and the rest of India.
How did we do it? It seemed all so lost just a decade ago. Well the answer is actually quite simple and harks back to the basic. We persevered. Even while engaging in military actions, we did not forget these were Indian citizens. We upheld their human rights, we used minimum force and we distinguished between the terrorists and ordinary people caught in the middle.
We maintained our democratic institutions, we held regular elections, we ensured full participation in elections and made sure that the results reflected the will of the people. We revitalised the local administration. We made sure that the requirements of governance and administration at the grass roots level were taken care of. We ensured that development and education were given the greatest importance.
Targeted and well-administered development schemes which brought in palpable change to people’s lives were devised and executed with great dispatch. And we kept doing it. We made sure that the wheels of progress never stopped. It took time, it did not always look like it was succeeding. Yet we kept going on our path. And, sure enough, the people noticed. They realised that their future lay in peace and development and not in some nihilistic vision of jihad.
They made their choice. And their choice is clear. They want peace, development and a better life for the future generation. They have shunned the dystopian version of life laid out for them by the terrorist groups and their foreign masters. And they have reiterated their choice by exercising their right of franchise in these elections.
(The writer is a retired Lt Col of the Indian Army who has served in J&K on multiple occasions. He is presently pursuing a Masters degree programme in International Security Policy Studies at George Washington University, Washington DC)
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