Unravelling Kashmir's political landscape post SC’s Article 370 verdict

In the aftermath of the Supreme Courts recent verdict affirming the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories political parties in the region are grappling with disappointment and a renewed commitment to the fight for the restoration of special statusThe Peoples Democratic Party PDP and National Conference NC two frontline political forces in the region have been particularly vocal accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP of dividing land and resources to favour its cronies and passing laws that disempower the regions peopleThe PDP has raised questions about the BJPs contributions to Kashmir since assuming power in 2014 The party has highlighted concerns over the extraction of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir cautioning that this activity could result in severe environmental damage and the displacement of local populations without commensurate economic benefitsThe PDP also critiqued the persistent power cuts in the region attributing them to disproportionate powersharing agreements and the absence of a local governmentOther than dividing our land and resources for their cronies and using their brute majority in Parliament to airdrop laws to disempower our people what has BJP done for us questioned the party that earlier formed the government with the BJP in 2016 in the regionThe partys scepticism extended to the Supreme Courts verdict on Article 370 with a pointed assertion that Kashmirs accession to India happened because of the vision of the countrys first prime minister Jawaharlal NehruAlso Read SC upholds abrogation of Article 370 Five key points of apex courts verdictFormer Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shahs statement in Parliament expressed his respect for the apex courts judgement while reiterating the commitment to advocating for the restoration of JampKs special status politicallyAbdullah acknowledged the difficulty in convincing the judges but assured the people that the struggle would persist within the realms of law and democratic methodsldquoWe could not have done anything more than this Unfortunately we could not convince the honourable judges for which we are not only sad but we apologise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and those outside who wanted us to win this legal battle from the core of my heart said Omar Abdullah acknowledging the disappointment felt by the NC and its supportersThe NC leader argued that the Supreme Court in an earlier threebench judgment had deemed Article 370 as permanent He pointed out the BJPs persistent efforts to revoke it despite the courts previous stance suggesting the possibility that another bench might reverse the recent decision Abdullah emphasised the longhaul nature of the struggle indicating a continued commitment to the causeMehbooba Mufti the president of the Peoplersquos Democratic Party termed the Supreme Courts decision as a setback but underlined that it did not mark the end of their struggle She argued that the verdict reinforced the notion that JampKs accession to India is temporary echoing the sentiments of those who have long questioned the permanence of this relationshipThe Supreme Courts pronouncement on Article 370 declaring it as temporary is not our defeat but the defeat of the secular and democratic idea of India with which we acceded rejecting the twonation theory Mufti emphasisedHurriyat Conference an amalgam of separatist organisations led by chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed sadness at the Supreme Courtrsquos decision however it reiterated that it the SC decision was not unexpected in the present circumstancesMirwaiz in a statement said that those people who at the time of the partition of the subcontinent facilitated the accession of JampK and reposed their faith in the promises and assurances given to them by the Indian leadership must feel deeply betrayedThe sociopolitical dynamics in Ladakh presented a contrasting picture with the Apex Body Leh ABL welcoming the Supreme Courts decision as a strong step in the direction of strengthening national integration The body expressed hope that the Central government would reassess Ladakhs situation and elevate it to a fullfledged state citing reasons such as a large area a patriotic population the need for faster development strategic location and distinct ethnic and cultural identityOn the other hand the Kargil region remained sceptical particularly regarding the question of Ladakhs statehood Sajjad Kargili a political activist from Kargil emphasised the importance of continued dialogue with the Centre to fight for Ladakhs statehood acknowledging the lines drawn between Kashmir and Ladakh by the governmentIn 2019 the Ladakh region had witnessed protests soon after the bifurcation of JampK with residents seeking protection from the Centre over concerns related to land identity and language The Ministry of Home Affairs had later constituted a High Powered Committee in January this year to address the concerns of the people of the region However after disagreements over the committees constitution and the meetings agenda representatives from Ladakh refused to engage with the CentreAfter 10 months of deliberations representatives from the ABL and the Kargil Democratic Alliance KDA presented a fourpoint agenda to Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on December 4 in New Delhi This agenda included statehood for Ladakh safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution job reservation for the youth of Ladakh and separate parliamentary constituencies for the two regionsmdashLeh and KargilThe socioreligious bodies of both regions displayed unity in seeking protection for their respective areas bridging the initial divide over the issue of UT status for Ladakh Some quarters in Leh had initially celebrated the decision to designate Ladakh as a UT while Kargil had expressed dismay over its separation from JampKBJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal welcomed the Supreme Courts verdict on Article 370 asserting that it silenced those who questioned the governments decision He emphasised the restoration of normalcy and peace in JampK and hinted at the Election Commission deciding on conducting elections at the right timeChhering Dorje another member of the High Powered Committee from Leh accused the Centre of pursuing delaying tactics in the matter of Ladakhs statehood He stated that only returning the powers taken away from the Hill Councils would not constitute empowerment