On the days that a new Jammu & Kashmir state government is sworn in - with the BJP for the first time taking ministerial posts in the state - one of Kashmir's most telling commentators, Arjimand Hussain Talib, has written for the Greater Kashmir (here's the link) about the prospects for this unlikely alliance. He reflects on the lessons from previous political deals between Kashmir parties and Delhi.
This is part of Arjimand's article:
When it comes to past accords of Kashmir’s political leaders with Delhi’s representatives, the perception factor is not very encouraging. Exactly 40 years ago Kashmiri leader Shiekh Muhammad Abdullah and Indira Gandhi had set out to do something similar. To most of the Kashmiris that agreement did little except for taking away whatever residual political autonomy the state had been left with.
In 1953, in somewhat similar circumstances, a Srinagar-New Delhi handshake eventually resulted in the bulldozing of numerous central laws to J&K state. It also lost the nomenclature of ‘Prime Minister’ and ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ to that of Chief Minister and Governor. That was the time when New Delhi jailed Sheikh Abdullah and the Congress sought to undermine the former with Mir Sadiq-led Democratic National Conference. Will history repeat itself?
Similarly, the 1986 Rajiv-Abdullah Accord - paving the way for an NC-Congress government - did precious little in addressing Kashmiris’ core political concerns and aspirations. What all followed that accord is not distant history.
The full article: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2015/Mar/1/the-throne-and-the-d-j-vu-8.asp
This is part of Arjimand's article:
When it comes to past accords of Kashmir’s political leaders with Delhi’s representatives, the perception factor is not very encouraging. Exactly 40 years ago Kashmiri leader Shiekh Muhammad Abdullah and Indira Gandhi had set out to do something similar. To most of the Kashmiris that agreement did little except for taking away whatever residual political autonomy the state had been left with.
In 1953, in somewhat similar circumstances, a Srinagar-New Delhi handshake eventually resulted in the bulldozing of numerous central laws to J&K state. It also lost the nomenclature of ‘Prime Minister’ and ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ to that of Chief Minister and Governor. That was the time when New Delhi jailed Sheikh Abdullah and the Congress sought to undermine the former with Mir Sadiq-led Democratic National Conference. Will history repeat itself?
Similarly, the 1986 Rajiv-Abdullah Accord - paving the way for an NC-Congress government - did precious little in addressing Kashmiris’ core political concerns and aspirations. What all followed that accord is not distant history.
The full article: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2015/Mar/1/the-throne-and-the-d-j-vu-8.asp
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