The Alliance of Fault Lines: Is PAGD a representative of Kashmiris?

Kashmir has been on the epicentre of the political upheaval in the country, since the Article 370 was modified or in common terms, was abrogated by the Union government on August 5, 2019. In recent turn of events, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) was invited by Prime Minister Modi to take part in Delimitation process. The 14-member delegation met Prime Minister on June 24 to discuss the future of politics in Kashmir.

The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was reduced to the status of a Union Territory and bifurcated into two parts: one Jammu and Kashmir UT and the other as Ladakh UT. Since Amit Shah had announced that reducing the J&K to UT is a temporary measure and status will be given back once the situation improves, it took nearly two years for the Union government to consider giving back the erstwhile status.

What To Expect?

Even though the PAGD has expressed willingness in joining the talks, Kashmiris remain anxious over what had prevailed in the meeting yesterday. We know Kashmir is the place where even rumour turning into a reality cannot be ruled out. People are worried in Kashmir because yesterday’s meet was crucial for the fate of Kashmir. However, many experts have started questioning the Union government’s policy on Kashmir, calling it a “failure” because what was promised had not materialized at all.

The security scenarios have not improved while the militancy in Kashmir is resurfacing again. The economic investments and industries do not see any scope. In DDC elections, local parties had performed better than BJP-led alliance.

The Backfire

In the words of a wise man, you must never cut the branch you sit on! Has BJP committed a mistake by revoking the Article 370? The recent developments on geopolitical scenario suggest that Union government has made a political “blunder”.

Since, the revocation of Article 370 has made matters worse for India, the Chinese have deployed large contingent of its armed forces to Ladakh to not only keep the newly claimed territory but also to be ready for the potential escalation with India. The Kashmir issue was internationalized even more. Consequently, this decision has only brought complications to all parties involved in the long-standing issue between the two nuclear-armed nations.

Kashmiri people see little to no hope in PAGD-led alliance, as there are many fault lines within. However, after conclusion of yesterday’s meeting, the PAGD members are hopeful that people of Kashmir and common sentiments would be entertained by the Union government, but this sounds an extra terrestrial concept to common minds. Meanwhile, the sense of uneasiness still prevails in Kashmir, as the future is uncertain.

Disclaimer: An opinion piece is an article that reflects the author’s opinion about the subject. The Kashmir Pulse does not endorse the views and opinions expressed in the article as these do not necessarily reflect our official policy or position on the issues discussed.