It is a fact that the Centre and its various agencies on ground in Kashmir had been extremely complacent after the recent drop in militant violence and a surge in mainstream political activity. The Government’s understanding was simple: the problem in Kashmir is militancy and an iron fist response from the security agencies would bring the situation to normal. There was this skewed understanding that militancy and not the denial of political aspirations was the main problem. Then the establishment was emboldened by the drastic changes across the world after 9/11 when Pakistan was forced to change its tact and abandon Kashmir’s militant movement. The line dividing terrorism and armed political movements had blurred to an extent where military solutions became increasingly acceptable to every violent movement. Thus in a way, the Government emphasised the symptom and not the disease and was happy to declare the lack of violence as permanent peace in Kashmir.

Peoples Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti said the anger and alienation have increased manifold. “The situation is worse than 2002 when we took over. There is a lack of understanding of the real issue and we have been trying to make the Centre realise this,” she said.

Separatist leader Sajjad Lone went a step further. “While I would say that New Delhi underestimated the potency of the sentiment in Kashmir, it also exhibited an arrogant triumph over the relative peace in recent past. But now the reality has blown up on everybody’s face. And it has torn through the lies piled up over the years that whatever was happening in Kashmir was Pakistan-sponsored,” he said. He added that there is only one lesson to be learned: “this place has a real problem and it needs a real solution”.

... contd.