SRINAGAR: An uneasy calm prevailed in Kashmir this year and law and order situation remained mainly under ‘control’ after over five-month long unrest and violent street protests last year.
The hangover of the unrest and street protests, which was triggered by killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Burhan Wani in en encounter with security forces on July 8, 2016 continued in first few months this year. Every time there was militant and civilian killing, Kashmir remained tense.
After every civilian and militant killing, authorities imposed restrictions in the particular area and snapped mobile and internet services to maintain law and order and prevent situation from going out of hand. This helped the administration to ‘localize’ every incident and restrict the ‘fallout’ to that particular area.
The first litmus test of the PDP-BJP government was to hold bypolls for Srinagar parliamentary seat in central Kashmir comprising three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal on April 9.
It turned out to be a very challenging job for security forces as violent protests took place in all three districts. At least nine people were killed on the poll day in security forces firing and poll percentage was just 7 percent.
A youth in Beerwah area of Budgam was used as a human shield by army and paraded in many villages to stop stone pelting, triggering outrage in the Valley.
Opposition National Conference President Farooq Abdullah won the seat by defeating PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan.
After the bypolls were marred by violence, the Election Commission cancelled the bypolls to Anantnag parliamentary seat in south Kashmir on the recommendations of the State government. The bypolls, which was necessitated after Mehbooba Mufti took over as first woman chief minister of the State last year and resigned from Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, has not been held so far.
The separatist leaders, who were ruling the roost and calling for shutdown and protests and shutdown, found themselves in a tight corner after the NIA conducted raids on their residences and office in May and June this year. The raids were conducted after an expose by Indian Today TV caught three separatists Nayeem Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate and Gazi Babi claiming that the unrest was funded by Pakistan, militant groups and JuD chief Hafiz Sayeed.
During its ongoing probe, NIA arrested eight separatist leaders including Altaf Ahmad Shah, son-in-law of Syed Ali Geelani, a leading Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Watali and two youth including a photojournalist Kamran Yousuf. All of them are presently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
Another senior separatist leader Shabir Shah was arrested by Enforcement Direction in a decade-old case. He too is lodged in Tihar jail.
The hearing of petitions on Article 35-A, which grants special privileges to the residents of the State, by Supreme Court caused anxiety and tension in the Valley. However, the apex court’s decision to defer the judgement helped avert a bigger crisis in the State as separatists had threatened of massive agitation in case the verdict went against Article 35-A.
The mysterious braid chopping incidents in September-October also caused trouble in the Valley with people accusing security agencies of being involved in these incidents. Many innocents were beaten by the mobs and even some security men were mistaken as broad choppers and beaten. These incidents came to an abrupt end in October-end.
On October 23, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appointed former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Dineshwar Sharma as the interlocutor on Kashmir for holding sustained dialogue with all stakeholders in the State.
After his appointment, he has thrice visited the State and held talks with stakeholders. However, the separatist groups and Valley-based traders and civil society members have refused to meet him.
On Sharma’s recommendation, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti announced granting of amnesty to over 4300 first-time stone pelting offenders. She has also promised jobs to the pellet victims.
Her government has also released three separatist leaders recently and eased curbs on separatists, sending signals that the government is now following soft approach on Kashmir.
Mehbooba’s party PDP is hopeful that withdrawing of cases against stone pelters and release of separatists would create conducive atmosphere for talks between separatists and New Delhi.
Time will only tell whether these measures would help revive talks between separatists and New Delhi and restore much needed peace in the Valley to attract tourist flow again in 2018.