Kashmir’s tryst with negative peace

-
Daanish Bin Nabi

In international theory, negative peace refers to the absence of violence. When, for example, a ceasefire is enacted, a negative peace will ensue. It is negative because something undesirable stopped from happening (for example the violence stopped, the oppression ended).
Description of negative peace aptly describes today’s Kashmir. Violence from streets has disappeared but the uncertainty of another spell of unrest looms large over Kashmir.
After the mass-uprising of 2008, everyone including the “security” apparatus of the state had an impression that it will take another decade for Kashmiris to press for their genuine demands, but 2009 and 2010 was yet to come. Year 2009 and the roiling 2010 protests were more brutal and deadly than 2008 and 2009, which took everyone by surprise.
From 2010 onwards, people of Kashmir were again shown the mirror of peace and prosperity in all its “negative” sense. However, the seed of 2016 unrest were sown in 2010 only with the likes of Burhan getting forged at the hands of the Police. No one at that time imagined that Burhan soon will become a phenomenon for the young in Kashmir.
As Kashmir is again heading towards “negative” peaceful days, no one knows what has been planted in the unrest of 2016 and what awaits us in coming years. The way New Delhi, state administration including police, para-military forces and security agencies have tackled the situation (like in 2008 and 2010), it suggests more violent days ahead.
The day Hizb Commander Burhan was buried (July 09) and thereafter, 20 to 30 young boys have, reportedly, disappeared in four districts of south Kashmir. Reports suggest that if not all many have joined the militancy. Some news reports also suggest that at least 45 boys have joined militancy in the year 2016. Most of these boys have joined post Burhan killing.
It is no secret how much hold Hurriyat leaders have over the present unrest, and how much they have been rendered irrelevant by the mass-uprising after the killing of Burhan. The veteran in the “pro-freedom” camp, Syed Ali Geelani, has also lost much of the ground due to his continuous absence attributed to his house-detentions, as Kashmiris tend to have the habit of forgetting their heroes. The other two, have already lost some of their credibility owing to the unconditional dialogue process they entered, while reposing their faith on New Delhi.
How Hurriyat leaders have lost credibility among the common people is a different story. From whatever has been observed on ground it looks like New Delhi has been making deliberate attempts to malign the image of Hurriyat leaders, by manufacturing lies and giving them out in public domain. The most important thing that New Delhi appears to have ignored is that Hurriyat could have proven helpful in solving the Kashmir crisis had they been trusted. By all means Hurriyat is a peaceful and democratic body.
About losing credibility among people, Hurriyat leadership is not the only party. The credibility of the state government has also shown a downward movement. To gain its lost credibility, the state government will have to make several attempts to forward its peaceful plan for resolving crises, which in real sense will again be negative peace.
To assume that the days ahead for Kashmir will be darker needs no rocket-science to understand. The old-stalwart Syed Ali Geelani is on stage but not for a long time. Many believe the summer unrest of 2016 is his last shot to get anything concrete out of New Delhi. His deteriorating health and unending house detention does not allow him to hold sway over people especially youth, who hold him dear. Losing ground means providing space to the fringe elements and disrupt the space of Hurriyat. It is also no secret that the other leaders from first to last tier of all the Hurriyat groups do not hold much sway over people.
New Delhi still has time to talk to the United Hurriyat Leadership. As Geelani is still on stage, there are chances of solving Kashmir in an amicable way as no one among the Hurriyat group or common people bypasses his decisions or his sayings. Talking to a united forum under a single leader is easy then to talk to sprinted groups and arrive at consensus. Talking to the United Hurriyat Leadership also give less chances for New Delhi to provide space to the elements inimical to peace.
Since the summer unrest of 2016, the Kashmir observers from Srinagar to New Delhi have been asking New Delhi to come to negotiating table and start talks with Hurriyat, but the ostrich attitude of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at New Delhi is not helping solve the problem. Till New Delhi does not budge, the air of Kashmir will be engulfed by negative peace only.
On its part, New Delhi needs to make a difference between positive and negative peace, sooner the better. Time is running fast under its feet to start a positive dialogue on Kashmir dispute. It is the positive peace Kashmiris have been craving for for a long time, which includes nature peace, direct positive peace, structural positive peace and cultural peace.


Feedaback at daanishnabi@gmail.com
Published on 22 November 2016 

Popular posts from this blog

Denial of democracy has been the ongoing story of Kashmir: Jalal

-
Image
Newsroom Trial You have to choose your method of struggle intelligently: Bose  Ayesha Jalal  and  Sugata Bose , two noted scholars and historians and renowned academics and authors from America visited ‘Rising Kashmir’ on June 21 to interact with members of the newspaper’s editorial staff and reporters. The duo delivered brief talks which focussed on the politics of identity, regional identity, the question of minorities, intellectual history of ideas in South Asia, the K-issue and the way forward,   ‘rise of religious majoritarianism in India’, and China’s economic expansion, etc .    The session was moderated by  Editor-in-Chief  Dr Shujaat Bukhari . Ayesha Jalal, a Pakistani-born American Professor and Director, Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Tufts University, said that Kashmir was not a question of religion for her. Jalal is grandniece of the renowned Urdu fiction writer Saadat Hasan Manto and a recipient of ‘...
Read more

House of Mirwaiz

-
Image
The first family of Kashmir Daanish Bin Nabi Kashmir has a number of religious institutions. One among them is the seat of Mirwaiz —which literally means head-preacher. In contemporary Islamic world this seat of “power” does not exist nor does it exercise so much influence as it does in Kashmir. This ‘Seat of Power’ is almost seven hundred years old and was recognized soon after the Muslim rule was established in Valley. There are no authentic sou rces during whose rule ‘ title Mirwaiz’ was officially introduced. Though many imminent contemporary Kashmiri historian are of the view that the title was introduced during Afghan regime. Conversely, the term Mirwaiz is not mentioned in Sir Walter Lawrence Classic, The Valley of Kashmir published in 1895, which is considered to be one of the authentic sources on modern Kashmir history. On other hand noted writer Zareef Ahmad Zareef says, “Ancestors of Mirwaiz travelled to Kashmir with caravan of Mir Syed Ali Hamadani (com...
Read more

Kashmir has an excellent future: Vijay Dhar

-
Image
Family of   Vijay Dhar   is one among those few who chose to return couple of years after the migration of Pandit community in early 1990 from Kashmir. Vijay is son of well-known Kashmiri politician Late Durga Prasad Dhar. He studied at Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi and has remained active in politics and social life. He came back to Kashmir in 1992 and settled here only after 1998. He decided to set up DP Dhar Trust in the same year to contribute in the field of education. By now Delhi Public School which he established in Srinagar a few years ago has made a mark. In an exclusive interview to  Rising Kashmir's   Online Editor,   Daanish Bin Nabi , Dhar talks about his homecoming and setting up of DP Dhar Memorial Trust. ·          Pandits have to come back ultimately; Valley is safe ·          We should introspect rather than blaming others     ·  ...
Read more