More than anything else, perhaps it is the pusillanimity of Kashmir’s mainstream political parties that came to the fore in the recent disturbances that rocked the Valley on the eve of external affairs minister S.M. Krishna’s trip to Islamabad to push along the peace process with Pakistan that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had initiated in Thimphu in April. When mobs of young men instigated by extremist and pro-Pakistan elements took to the streets for a fortnight in a bid to entrench a cycle of violence, the Kashmir Valley’s mainstream parties resorted to silence. This was partly out of fear of reprisal from the hardline separatists if they chose to be peacemakers. But for some, the stance may have been inspired by the thought of currying favour with the separatists and their Pakistan-based ideological and political mentors. Some others might have calculated that remaining mere spectators might earn them dividends in later electoral contests. The last would appear to be a misjudgment. In election after election, whether for Parliament, the state Assembly, or local bodies, Kashmiri voters have tended to reject those who have played proxy for violence-makers.
The part played by the People’s Democratic Party, the main Valley-based opposition in the legislature, has appropriately drawn the most comment. Not only did it stand by the sidelines during the days of unprovoked violence in Srinagar and elsewhere, it chose to stay away from Monday’s all-party meeting called by the chief minister to work out a political programme with which to cool tempers and find the road back to normality. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti even turned down a request from the Prime Minister to participate in the dialogue. In doing so she betrayed a lack of appreciation of the normal rules of democratic functioning. Had she attended the conference, she was at liberty to criticise the government’s handling of the situation from a key public forum. Perhaps she passed up that opportunity as she wanted no part of the burden to go to the people with the message of peace hammered out through a consensus developed by all parties that are represented in the Assembly. This hardly augurs well for the principle of democratic participation in the wider running of Kashmir’s political affairs. As it happens, the PDP’s refusal to be a part of a process aimed at the return of peace and normality came days before external affairs minister S.M. Krishna’s scheduled visit to Islamabad. By effectively adopting a stance that would bring succour to separatists and extremists, the PDP leadership’s approach effectively undercuts India’s negotiating coordinates in engaging Islamabad. This is likely to be widely regretted in the Valley, if the past is any guide. Such kudos as the PDP is able to garner can only be from a narrow segment of political opinion in Kashmir.
It is to the credit of the people of the Valley that they did not react to the “deterrent” flag march of the Army through the main thoroughfares of Srinagar in the negative manner that anti-India elements might have hoped for. This would inordinately strengthen the hands of chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose handling of the volatile situation in the state fell way short of what might be desired. No less significant, this would even outweigh the propaganda gain the separatist cabals might have hoped to gain from the PDP’s non-participation at the all-party meeting. To that extent Mr Krishna and his team would find the negotiating balance restored when they hold discussions in the Pakistan capital. It is to be hoped that in the days and weeks to come, the mainstream parties in the Valley would reflect on recent events and recalibrate their positions in future.