On August 5, the Union parliament predominantly voted for reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and dilution of Article 370. This was followed by the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act being passed by Parliament to split the state into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. As a precautionary measure against any violent reaction to this move, internet services were suspended and prohibitory orders were put into force. There was a huge deployment of security forces carried out to maintain law and order with more companies of CRPF being sent in.
Protests and stone-pelting incidents against this move were reported from some areas in the valley. Despite authorities lifting curfew in over a fortnight, the shutdown against the scrapping of Article 370 lasted for over 120 days in many areas.
On September 27, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan raised Kashmir issue at UNGA but his appeal for intervention did not find any takers and his attempt to internationalise the Kashmir issue fell flat and New Delhi.
The digital blackout in Kashmir has completed 150 days with no sign of the restoration of the services in the near future. As a result, scores of people risk losing their jobs as IT-related firms are on the verge of shutting down due to lack of internet availability.
Three former chief ministers (Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti), and several mainstream political leaders were taken into preventive custody. Farooq Abdullah, a sitting Member of Parliament and three-time chief minister was later booked under Public Safety Act (PSA)- a law originally introduced in 1978 by Mr Farooq’s father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to deal with timber smugglers and extended to cover militants, stone pelters and separatist leaders.
On October 31, the reorganisation of erstwhile J&K was formally completed with Girish Chander Murmu being sworn in as the first Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and former bureaucrat Radha Krishna Mathur as the first Lieutenant Governor of strategically-located Ladakh.
As 2019 came to an end, the center scrapped two holidays that were only applicable in erstwhile J&K. The first is the ‘martyrs’ day’ observed on July 13 in remembrance of Kashmiris who were victims of police firing during Dogra rule in 1931. The second is December 5, which is the birth anniversary of former J&K Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. Removing these dates from the list of holidays has triggered a political storm in the restive Valley.
The Kashmir economy is the worst sufferer due to the events in 2019. The shutdown has caused a loss to the tune of of Rs 17,878 cr in four months of restrictions. The tourism sector is in shambles while artisans and weavers are jobless. With estimated losses of around Rs 2,520 crore, the manufacturing sector is in tatters.
Despite the ups and downs, a lot has to be achieved in 2020 and one gets a feeling that these developments could help in ushering an environment of normalcy and development in Jammu and Kashmir. Yet, even though the pace has been set, more sustained efforts are required in this New Year to ensure that the sentiments of positivity trickle down to the masses!
Image courtesy - DIPR J&K
(Author is a Kashmir based senior journalist, political analysts and TV commentator)
IOP ON FACEBOOK - https://bit.ly/2SlmpLA
IOP TEAM BUREAUS & WRITERS - https://bit.ly/2LxOU2I
INDIAN OBSERVER POST (IOP) is a Class, Creative, and Constructive News platform which publishes ONLY exclusive and Special News / Views / Interviews / Research Articles / Analysis / Columns / Features and Opinions on the national and international issues, politics, security, energy, innovation, infrastructure, rural, health, education, women, and entertainment. www.indianobserverpost.com
(Onkareshwar Pandey is Founder, Editor in Chief & CEO, Indian Observer Post and former Senior Group Editor- Rashtriya Sahara (Hindi & Urdu) and also former Editor, (News), ANI. http://bit.ly/2mh7hih)