Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory in northern India. It comprises two major regions: Jammu and the Kashmir Valley. A third region, Ladakh, along with Jammu and Kashmir, was a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019. After the abrogation of Article 370, the state was broken into two: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The region is known for breathtaking landscapes with a history going back to the Indus Valley Civilization, with evidence of various empires — Gandhara, Mauryan, Kushan, Gupta, Mughal, and Dogra — ruling the area.
The region has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since its 1947 accession to India. The two countries fought a war that resulted in the establishment of the Line of Control (LoC) and divided the region into Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Both Pakistan and China claim portions of Indian-administered Kashmir and Ladakh regions. It has been marred with violent incidents of militancy, which gained momentum in the 1980s and 1990s. The situation, fuelled by various grievances including political alienation, human rights abuses, and economic disparities, has resulted in prolonged conflict and counterinsurgency operations by security forces.
In a way, it is unfair to expect anything substantive to result from this initiative. The issues / demands / aspirations that are fuelling unrest, often disrupting normal life, leading also to a human toll, are well known in Delhi, where alone decisions can be taken. There is an almost daily MRI scan of the Valley which reaches the desks of the people who matter, starting with the DIB himself. The stage of information gathering is long past. What now needs to be done is for the Centre, in consultation with the state government, to keep releasing decisions that mitigate the underlying problem, reduce alienation, slowly start restoring trust. Intuition suggests that for success to ensue, Pakistan needs to be associated in whatever format or capacity the government considers appropriate. People speak very highly of the SR’s competence and intellectual integrity. If his mission does not, unfortunately, succeed, he is the last person who should bear any responsibility.