RAMZAN & KASHMIR: THE CEASEFIRE EXPERIMENT & BEYOND

Inner  hall of Dastgeer Sahib, a Sufi Shrine in Srinagar during Ramzan.
(Image Source: Instagram account of Aamir Wani)

To Muslims, fasting from dawn to dusk in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Calendar, Ramzan is the month long self-control holiest resistance to daily appetites & a pledge to perform good deeds all through the year. As per my friend, the very idea of Ramzan is to show resilience, but also a reminder of how close nature is to life. Though, the valley has witnessed some of the bloodiest days in the recent years, there is something to cheer for the locals, thanks to the month of ceasefire, announced by the Union Home Ministry on request of Kashmiri Political Parties led by CM Mehbooba Mufti. Home Minister (HM) Rajnath Singh during his recent visit to Jammu & Kashmir was happy after a security review, but a surge in grenade attacks, ceasefire violations from Pakistan, death of Shujaat Bukhari: all tell a different story. And the question remains, WAS THE EXPERIMENT SUCCESSFUL?

Home Minister Rajnath Singh for security review meeting in Srinagar.
(Image Source: News Nation)

ASSASINATION OF SHUJAAT BUKHARI

The brutal killing of Shujaat Bukhari, a day before Eid is probably one of the biggest setbacks for the peace process in the valley. Just before the sunset on Thursday, Bukhari, a veteran journalist & the editor-in-chief of the powerful Rising Kashmir daily, was shot dead by three to four unknown gunmen outside the Press Enclave. Bukhari who was in his 50s, was leaving his office for an Iftar Party when he was shot along with his two PSOs, both died later at the hospital. He was the bureau chief of The Hindu & contributing editor to the Frontline magazine.

The front page of Friday Edition of Rising Kashmir
(Image Source: Twitter)

His brother, Basharat Bukhari is the law minister in Mehbooba government. The death of Bukhari led to waves of sorrow from Srinagar to Delhi and beyond to Islamabad. With CM Mehbooba herself in tears while consoling the family members, his funeral witnessed a huge crowd from various walks of life. In an interview to NDTV, former J&K CM Omar Abdullah said, "Shujaat also seems to have been a victim of his desire for a negotiated settlement for a dialogue. The fact that he has been outspoken in terms of need for peace in J&K, need for dialogue & being equally critical of militant attacks on police, excessive use of force on protesters & also being consistent votary for a need for a dialogue between New Delhi & Srinagar & also with Islamabad or Rawalpindi." His death comes at a time when India slipped one place from 137 to 138 in the World Press Freedom Index 2018 rankings, based on the media independence, violence against Journalists, state interference etc.

Inner pages of Rising Kashmir full of
 images of the brutal killing.
(Image Source: Twitter)

MONTH LONG CEASEFIRE

The request for a Ramzan ceasefire was accepted by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh just two days before Ramzan started - a symbolic gesture, but it can break the cycle of killings. It tend to provide a breather to the blockaded mainstream polity. According to an opinion published in Scroll.in: “Given that the Modi government has always favoured using hard power in Kashmir, the decision was unexpected even though all mainstream parties had unanimously resolved at a meeting on April 9 to call for a ceasefire. The decision of government forces in Jammu and Kashmir to temporarily halt counterinsurgency operations to ensure the Muslim month of fasting passes off peacefully was welcomed warmly.” On other side of the border, New Delhi & Islamabad attempted to reinforce a 2003 ceasefire during a meeting in the first week of June but soon betrayed again, killing our security personal & most recently when four BSF personal were killed in Pak firing along the Samba sector. On the same day of Shujaat’s death, the body of an abducted soldier was found in Bandipora. Aurangzeb, posted with the 44 Rashtriya Rifles, was proceeding on leave for Eid.

MILITANTS EXPLOITED RAMZAN CEASEFIRE

A scene of stone pelting protest somewhere in Kashmir
(Image Source: IndiaToday.in)

Compiling with the very idea of Ramzan i.e. resilience: the ceasefire came into existence to enable normalcy in daily life. In an interview to The Hindu, days after his visit to Jammu & Kashmir for a security review, HM Rajnath said, “As my vehicle passed on the road in Srinagar, I waved at people and they responded with great enthusiasm. This was not the case earlier. Whenever a leader from the Centre visited, there used to be a shutdown. This time there was none. It (ceasefire) has generated goodwill. We implemented it during Ramzan as we did not want any civilian casualties. We will see what needs to be done later but this was done to give relief to those Muslims who are inclined to peace. It’s a muqaddas (pious) festival.”

It’s clear the halting of counterinsurgency operations has led to the gradual reduction in stone pelting but according to a report published in The New Indian Express, recruitment of local youths by militant groups and incidents of grenade lobbying have risen alarmingly. The total number of grenade lobbying incidents reported in the month of May, more than 80 percent took place during the ceasefire period alone, said the report. According to the latest data compiled by the Centre, as many as 23 youths have been recruited by militant groups during the first 19 days of the ceasefire.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh with CM Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar
(Image Source: Free Press Kashmir)

THE ROAD AHEAD

Given that the coalition government of PDP & BJP in the state has worked out an agenda of alliance for govt functioning, the deadlock continues on various long lasting issues of AFSPA, Article 370, talks with the Hurriyat & Pakistan etc. Rather than bringing normalcy, the continued governance confusions between State & Center and sometimes within Srinagar too, have certainly deteriorated the situation in the valley. With Amarnath Yatra round the corner, it’s still uncertain will the Home Ministry extend ceasefire or not. Defence experts, meanwhile, questioned the need for having a unilateral ceasefire in the Kashmir Valley during the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan, maintaining that this had been fully exploited by militants, according to a Business Standard report. Soon, videos of violence started coming in & seems like unlike the government, locals have lost way for peace. This was the time for parents to happily urge their kin for disarmament, but what only remains resolute is: AAZADI.

A soldier looks on along an Azaadi Graffiti in Srinagar. (Image Source: Huffpost)