Srinagar: The two-day-a-week, dawn-to-dusk ban on civilian movement on the Jammu-Srinagar highway seems to have drawn new faultlines in the restive region, with many likening the governor-led administration’s decision to Israel’s strong-arm approach towards the Palestinians.
Among the first to draw this parallel was Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a former ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“This is Kashmir, not Palestine,” the former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister said Sunday, “We won’t allow you to turn our beloved land into an open-air prison. Jis Kashmir ko khoon say seencha woh Kashmir humara hai (The Kashmir we have cultivated with blood is ours).”
The ‘highway ban’, brought in the wake of the 14 February attack on a CRPF convoy that killed 40 personnel on the same highway, kicked in this Sunday. It is the first time since the peak of the Kashmir insurgency in the 1990s that such a move has been taken by the authorities, raising questions about the security situation in the Valley.
Along with the tweet, Mehbooba shared a video of her party’s top leaders defying the state government’s decision to reserve the highway exclusively for the movement of security convoys Wednesday and Sunday.
Even the National Conference of the Abdullahs organised rallies on the highway and in parts of Kashmir Sunday to protest against the ban.
Also read: J&K restricts civilian vehicle movement on national highway after Pulwama, Banihal attacks
Shift in stance
While many political analysts believe that Mehbooba’s aggressive posturing is an attempt to undo the damage her party’s image sustained on account of its alliance with the BJP, it is undeniable that the largest political parties of the Valley are increasingly taking a blatant anti-Delhi stand.
Be it former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah promising to bring back the posts of J&K president and prime minister, or the first Kashmiri topper of the coveted civil services exam resigning from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) to protest against civilian killings, the tone of Kashmir’s mainstream has changed since the 2016 protests triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
The highway ban, many in Srinagar say, might be the tipping point.
Security expert Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, said the “highway ban” might not have become such a big issue had it not come at a time when the country’s politics is highly polarised.
“Of course, the security forces in Kashmir face a major challenge ahead of the elections and there are many vulnerabilities that could be exposed, as seen in the Pulwama attack, but a two-day ban would not have been a serious issue,” said Sahni.
He added that the “highly-polarised” campaign of the BJP had forced Kashmiri mainstream politicians to take extreme positions.
Talking to ThePrint, former J&K education minister Naeem Akhtar of the PDP said the central government was not even willing to talk to local stakeholders within the constitutional framework.
Akhtar pointed out how the “debate” on the protection of Article 35A, which allows the state legislature to define permanent residents, was completely within the constitutional perimeter but had not enthused the BJP even though it found many takers in Kashmir, including separatists and militant groups.
“The purpose of the BJP seems to be to convert this legal and constitutional position (of Kashmir) into an illegal occupation. They want to govern this place as a colony,” Akhtar said.
He added that “things had begun to harmonise between New Delhi and Kashmir” between 2003 and 2005, but “now we are back in the early era of Sheikh Abdullah, the post-1953 era, when Kashmir’s political relationship with the rest of the country was defined by rebellion and hostility.
“Politically, we are back in the same era with the additional burden of guns… in those days, violence was neither an option nor was it encouraged,” said Akhtar, one of Mehbooba’s closest advisers.
Their arch rivals in the National Conference echo the PDP’s hostility towards Delhi’s “Kashmir policy”.
Former Union minister Farooq Abdullah, a former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister, led a party protest to defy the ban Sunday.
“We are being pushed for no fault of ours,” he said in an address to party workers. “Are we living in a free country or is this a colony? They have imprisoned us. They must lift this ban before there is more bloodshed in Kashmir.”
Tanvir Sadiq, political adviser to Farooq’s son and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, is among those who believe that every other issue in Kashmir is being clouded by the “perpetual threat to the Kashmiri identity” posed by central government policies.
The “highway ban”, he said, “enforced fears of the people in the Valley”.
“Of course, people need jobs, they need electricity, water, road, schools and healthcare etc, but, unfortunately, when you see incidents where you close a highway for two days a week, imagine, why would anybody want anything else except the answer as to why he is being deprived of something that he has?” Sadiq asked.
“Everybody is asking this question here, why everything that is being done in Kashmir is serving the interests of everyone except the Kashmiri people,” he added.
Also read: Beef is not banned in J&K, says BJP leader, forgets 157-year-old law against cow slaughter
‘Echoes of occupation’
The NC leader’s words have been echoed by countless social media users, some of whom have likened the scenario to that under South Africa’s apartheid regime and the German Nazis.
Appalling!
He is getting married, starting a new life but the movement of his Baraat needs an official approval!
Imagine if this was a wedding in Delhi?
Everyone should call out this asinine & jaundiced decision irrespective of whether your left, right or centrist. pic.twitter.com/StObIS80rU
— Khalid Shah (@khalidbshah) April 7, 2019
Pic 1: December 11, 1939, Nazi #Germany
(All Jews forbidden to enter or use pathways, streets & public squares from 9 PM to 5 AM)
Pic 2: April 3, 2019, Indian Occupied #Kashmir
(All Kashmiris forbidden to enter or use highway. Civilian traffic banned every Sunday & Wednesday) pic.twitter.com/bddAlqR3J7
— Mudasir Nazar ☪ (@NashateSania) April 7, 2019
“It is almost similar to the economic blockade imposed against the Palestinians by the Israeli government and it will have repercussions, further alienating the alienated masses of Kashmir,” said Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a Kashmir-based political and legal expert.
Speaking about the increased resistance of Kashmir’s mainstream political parties, he added, “The reasons that the mainstream political parties are speaking or behaving the way they are are two-fold.”
“One is for immediate electoral gains, and number two is the fact that they have no other option,” he said.
“They have been cornered and that is why they are taking a line similar to that adopted by separatists, though with milder posturing,” Hussain added.
Finally the Govt acts the way it should. It’s about time we dealt with the deceitful Kashmiris the way Israel deals with Palestinians! This is the only way these traitors will learn a lesson
Dr Farooq Abdullah pointed out how the highway was not shut even during the Kargil war, when he was CM. The requirement to keep troop movements secure is well understood. However, considering that this is the only road link between Jammu and Srinagar, the dislocation and disruption this move is causing to the lives of Kashmiris is immense. This must also be what now passes for the tourist season in Kashmir. All that remains is to abrogate Articles 370 / 35 AA. The ultimate fantasy of some.