J&K, A State of Crisis

A process of land transfer gone wrong and more than a month of protests later, Ghulam Nabi Azad decided that it was time to break the silence. On this day, an all-party meeting was convened and what awaited on the other side shocked everyone.

The mother of all conundrums; Image Source: India Today

In the May of 2006, a minority government of the Congress, led by the experienced Ghulam Nabi Azaz gave the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) the go-ahead to build temporary shelters for the Hindu pilgrims in a section of land in the Kashmir Valley.

These pilgrims were coming for the two months-long annual Amarnath Pilgrimage )or the Amarnath Yatra) that takes place every year from June to August. It is a source of revenue for Hindus and Muslims alike as well as for the state government.

They thought it made sense for them to make arrangements for the accommodations of the pilgrims so as to encourage more and more people to come. That wasn't to be the case. What started out as concerns for the delicate ecology of the Kashmir Valley turned into a heavily politicised and partisan issue.

A rumour that the SASB intended to construct a dam across the Indus for the generation of electricity emerged and began spreading far and wide. There was little logic or truth to it, but people lapped it up uncritically and tensions started to flare.

While people in Jammu welcome the news with open arms, Kashmiris stood staunchly against it. Political parties for the sake of political expediency and electoral success, began to milk the issue for their own benefit. After all, the state assembly elections were just a few months away and a communal issue such as this would only help them win more brownie points.

The pressure was mounting on the Azad-led government, which was failing at balancing the rope under the weight of expectations from both sides. After a point, it was apparent that no matter what happened, only Congress would be the ones to lose.

Five days after the Pilgrimage began on 17th June, protests erupted in Ganderbal and the conflagration spread far and wide in the Kashmir Valley. The unrest continued until the order was revoked; another problem reared its ugly head as hell broke loose in Jammu in reaction to the cancellation.

Despite getting their way, the PDP pulled out of their coalition with Congress and several ministers resigned. Azad was in a fix and called for an all-party meet on July 7, which the PDP refused to be a part of. Everyone had expected Azad to rally for party solidarity in this time of crisis but instead, he tendered in his resignation and the government of the Congress fell. Indeed, there was only one loser- Ghulam Nabi Azad and The Congress.