Arun Joshi
August 5, 2019 is hailed as a date that led to a big change in Jammu and Kashmir. And August 5, 2024 – five years after the change was initiated, this date has assumed new dimensions which require to be understood in two perspectives – national and regional. These will have to be tested on the touchstone whether two have amalgamated with each other or still stand in isolation to each other. This will provide a real meaning to the change anticipated five years ago and how much journey it has covered, and where does it stand today.
As of today, J&K has been transformed – it is miles ahead of the times of troubles and darkness- it has left the stigma of turmoil and terrorism far behind .These are accomplishments which were beyond the imagination of the locals and outsiders alike. The world has started looking Kashmir through a positive outlook, but there is much more left to be done – the emotional integration of all the people of the erstwhile state. Perhaps, elections to the Assembly will bridge that gap and make this milestone within reach of the Central government.
The national concern about Article 370 before its abrogation on August 5, 2019, was that it was proving to be a big barrier between the integration of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country, despite a substantial erosion in the original face and content of the Article incorporated in the Constitution as a temporary provision. Bhartiya Janta Party leaders and workers , , die hard followers of the ideologue and leader of abrogate Article 370 movement Syama Prasad Mukherjee who had sacrificed his life for the “one nation, one constitution and one head of the state” in Kashmir in 1953 , took it as a their life-time mission to accomplish the same.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the start of his second-term in 2019, made it clear that he would be doing so .And Union Home Minister Amit Shah led the efforts after strenuous exercise to get rid of the constitutional provision which despite being temporary was fiving an impression that the country was having limited sovereignty over Jammu and Kashmir . For any nation, this was intolerable. It had to be removed to set the record straight which had been tweaked and twisted in 1948-49 when he constitution was taking shape.
Modi and Shah embarked on the mission to correct what they claimed was historical wrong. A lot of meticulous planning had gone into the whole exercise before the act was undertaken on August 5 five years ago. A host of constitutional experts were consulted, who took care of the nitty-gritty of the legal and constitutional experts. That was one part of it, but there was a greater assignment that had to be addressed before the Government made its intent known in the Parliament. There were immense concerns if not the fear that thousands will fill streets and cause mayhem, as there were reasons to believe that abrogation of Article 370 would lead to mass unrest in the Valley. The Article 370 over the decades had been associated with the Kashmir, and the political parties had drummed home the point that without this Article, they had no dignity, identity and even no relation with the Union of India. They propagated, and it was believed too in many quarters that the Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir was the only path that maintained their relationship with India. And, if it goes, then the bridge collapses. India and Jammu and Kashmir were seen as two entities. The abrogation of Article 370 and the period that has passed since then has proved that to be a lie. Much of the credit for this goes to the immaculate planning in Delhi under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the execution part undertaken by Home Minister Amit Shah.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the ground work was supervised by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the work was carried out by J&K police then under the leadership of Director General of Police Dilbag Singh. The police had started working weeks ahead on this mission, gathering all inputs and taking care of the potential trouble makers.
Today, nation has achieved its mission. Its accomplishment lies in the fact that J&K is a separate entity ceases to exist even notionally.
Disclaimer: This is the personal opinion of the author. The views expressed in this write-up have nothing to do with www.prameyanews.com.
