Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, has said it once again. He announced on Sunday that the BJP government will find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue and it was open to talks with the Hurriyat Conference.

The announcement by the senior BJP leader and the Union Home Minister is being seen as an important one, as far as the Kashmir conundrum is concerned. Even though the Union Minister did not give an exact time for solving Kashmir issue, he said that the problem has remained unresolved since 1947.

The announcement though seems pleasing to the ears of every Kashmiri, one wonders what will be the government’s strategy while initiating and later taking forward the talks that will be initiated on the Kashmir issue. 

Even though lot of clarity is needed over the government’s announcement and the mere rhetoric that Kashmir, Kashmiris and Kashmiriyat will not be let suffer is not going to help to ease out the situation at the ground level.

There are certain factors which the union government has to take into consideration. One is to get rid of the deadlock that has prevailed over the talks between the centre and the state and another is to get the people of Kashmir out of the trap of uncertainty that has otherwise gripped them so dangerously.

On both these counts the union government has to walk an extra mile. The government has also to ask all the BJP functionaries and even the Ministers to stop issuing unnecessary statements on Kashmir, which given the present circumstances are doing more harm than any good to the people of Kashmir as well as for those who hold authority in the state as well as the centre.

 The union government has to be liberal in its attitude while dealing with Kashmir. Kashmir issue has been haunting all the governments in the centre from the past six decades. The issue has been engulfing our neighbouring country Pakistan to a great level. However, what is more worrisome is the fact that the biggest losers because of this uncertainty have been the people of the state.

People especially in Kashmir and those living on the LoC have been bearing the maximum brunt of all the situations. Not only have been people displaced but lot of lives have been lost to the violence in the region.

Before initiating talks the Union government needs to draw out a well thought out plan not only to generate confidence among the leadership here but also send a message to the people that things will not be let run out of control anymore.

Guest