Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution (granting special status to the region of Jammu and Kashmir) represented a curse on Kashmir by limiting its growth and development and fostering unmitigated trouble for all the common people, apart from a small minority of Kashmiris who flourished. The Indian parliament abrogated these provisions on 5 August 2019 by a Presidential Ordinance, which was later ratified by both houses of parliament (the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha) with more than a two-thirds majority.
It was a bold initiative by a government which had decided to bring an end to the imbroglio in Kashmir, which had been simmering for more than seven decades, and it surprised most of those who had some connection with the situation in Kashmir.
Nobody had any inkling as to what was happening. It was a constitutional coup executed with
consummate skill
Economic Analysis of Islamic Republic of IranSheikh_Rehmat
Done as a part of College assignment. This is the question -
A) Selection of a Country as discussed.
B) Complete study on the Economic parameters of the country with focus on a Member of Trading Blocks with Trade barriers in place.
C) International Trade Statistics ( Export & Import items)
D) Comparative or Competitive advantages they have in producing commodities.
E)History on being member of WTO/IMF/World bank etc.
Based on the above select a commodity or service you would like to import/export in India from the country in question and the steps to be undertaken to be successful
in this activity including marketing.
Politics in Pakistan (All about Politics)Seerat Malik
Politics in Pakistan
History - Timeline (History at grace)
Major Parties
Problems of Pakistani Politics
Democracy vs. Dictatorship in Pakistan
Constitutions
Conclusion
I talk about India's government system from executive to legislative and how elections work in a country with such a massive population - the world's largest democracy.
Three states in southern Somalia are keen to become an autonomous region known as Jubbaland. IHS examines why the central Somali government opposes these plans, despite initially backing the idea.
Economic Analysis of Islamic Republic of IranSheikh_Rehmat
Done as a part of College assignment. This is the question -
A) Selection of a Country as discussed.
B) Complete study on the Economic parameters of the country with focus on a Member of Trading Blocks with Trade barriers in place.
C) International Trade Statistics ( Export & Import items)
D) Comparative or Competitive advantages they have in producing commodities.
E)History on being member of WTO/IMF/World bank etc.
Based on the above select a commodity or service you would like to import/export in India from the country in question and the steps to be undertaken to be successful
in this activity including marketing.
Politics in Pakistan (All about Politics)Seerat Malik
Politics in Pakistan
History - Timeline (History at grace)
Major Parties
Problems of Pakistani Politics
Democracy vs. Dictatorship in Pakistan
Constitutions
Conclusion
I talk about India's government system from executive to legislative and how elections work in a country with such a massive population - the world's largest democracy.
Three states in southern Somalia are keen to become an autonomous region known as Jubbaland. IHS examines why the central Somali government opposes these plans, despite initially backing the idea.
Mazahmat (Resistance) is an academic publication that provides reliable analytical & interpretative reports about the disputed territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a 'temporary provision' which grants special
autonomous status to Jammu & Kashmir. Under Part XXI of the Constitution of India, which
deals with "Temporary, Transitional and Special provisions", the state of Jammu & Kashmir has
been accorded special status under Article 370. All the provisions of the Constitution which are
applicable to other states are not applicable to J&K. For example, till 1965, J&K had a
Sadr-e-Riyasat for governor and prime minister in place of chief minister.
Battle for the Benches
The turf battle between the Executive and the Judiciary over appointment of judges has escalated with letters and allegations that the government was undermining the collegium system. There are also instances of judges interfering in appointments.
Presentation on the causes of conflicts that leads to the current scenarios in Kashmir and also talking briefly about the other side of Kashmir which is very beautiful
We all have good and bad thoughts from time to time and situation to situation. We are bombarded daily with spiraling thoughts(both negative and positive) creating all-consuming feel , making us difficult to manage with associated suffering. Good thoughts are like our Mob Signal (Positive thought) amidst noise(negative thought) in the atmosphere. Negative thoughts like noise outweigh positive thoughts. These thoughts often create unwanted confusion, trouble, stress and frustration in our mind as well as chaos in our physical world. Negative thoughts are also known as “distorted thinking”.
Leaders are often faced with ethical conundrums(a confusing and difficult problem or question). So how can they determine when they’re inching toward dangerous territory? There are three main psychological dynamics that lead to crossing moral lines.
There’s omnipotence: when someone feels so aggrandized and entitled that they believe the rules of decent behavior don’t apply to them.
Consider cultural numbness: when others play along and gradually begin to accept and embody deviant norms.
Finally, when people don’t speak up because they are thinking of more immediate rewards, we see justified neglect.
Generally most people mean well, but simply execute their job poorly sometimes and sometimes, there are BAD bosses. We must learn “to Work "on Bad Boss
According to dictionary.com, “to work” something or someone is to put them into effective operation, to operate that thing or person for productive purposes.
Put your Bad Boss into effective operation to get whatever you want in your job or career by learning your boss’s secret desire and secret fear
Two biggest issues of Bad Boss are:
They can negatively impact our work performance.
They can make life miserable
We often hear “being difficult.” about Bad Boss. It’s hard to know exactly where the difficulty lie. All we know is it is difficult to work successfully with this person.
An incompetent person is someone who is
Functionally inadequate or
Insufficient in Knowledge, Skills, Judgment, or Strength
Mindset is a mental attitude that determines how we interpret and respond to situations.
Dweck has found that it is your mindset that plays a significant role in determining achievement and success.
A mindset refers to whether you believe qualities such as intelligence and talent are fixed or changeable traits.
People with a fixed mindset believe that these qualities are inborn, fixed, and unchangeable.
Those with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that these abilities can be developed and strengthened by way of commitment and hard work.
Story of Katalin Karikó, a researcher who won the Nobel prize for medicine for her work on modifying the RNA molecule to avoid triggering a harmful immune response is a classical example of mindset.
Yet, her life was full of rejection and doubt.
Her achievement had much to do with her mindset.
A theory is a based upon a hypothesis and backed by evidence.
A theory presents a concept or idea that is testable.
In science, a theory is not merely a guess.
A theory is a fact-based framework for describing a phenomenon.
In psychology, theories are used to provide a model for understanding human thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Hence study of Psychology theory is essential for SSB and all types of Interviewas it helps us to understand our own developmental psychology.k
Personality theorists should study normal individuals
All behavior is interactive
The person must be studied in terms of interactions with their environment
The brain is the locus of personality
There is a biological basis to personality
Definition of Personality
1- Personality is an abstraction formulated by a theorist.
2- It refers to series of events that ideally span over life time from childhood to adulthood
3-It reflects novel, unique, recurrent and enduring patterns of behaviours – his education and training .
4- Personality is located in brain- imagination, perception
5.Personality comprises the person’s central organizing and governing processes, whose function is to
Resolve conflicts,
Satisfy needs, and
Plan for future goals.
” Emotions are complex psychological states involving three distinct components: a subjective experience, a physiological response, and a behavioral or expressive response”
"Discovering Psychology," by Don Hockenbury and Sandra E. Hockenbury
In 1972, psychologist Paul Ekman suggested that there are six basic emotions that are universal throughout human cultures: fear, disgust, anger, surprise, joy, and sadness.
In the 1980s, Robert Plutchik introduced another emotion classification system known as the wheel of emotions. This model demonstrated how different emotions can be combined or mixed together, much like the way an artist mixes primary colors to create other colors.
Plutchik proposed eight primary emotional dimensions: joy vs. sadness, anger vs. fear, trust vs. disgust, and surprise vs. anticipation.
These emotions can then be combined to create others, such as happiness + anticipation = excitement.
In 1999, Ekman expanded his list to include a number of other basic emotions, including embarrassment, excitement, contempt, shame, pride, satisfaction, and amusement
Anger is an intense emotion you feel when
Something has gone wrong or
Someone has wronged you.
It is typically characterized by feelings of
Stress,
Frustration, and
Irritation.
Anger is a perfectly normal response to frustrating or difficult situations.
Anger only becomes a problem when
It’s excessively displayed and
Begins to affect your daily functioning and the way you relate with people.
Anger can range in intensity, from a slight annoyance to rage.
It can sometimes be excessive or irrational.
In these cases, it can be hard to keep the emotion in check and could cause you to behave in ways you wouldn’t otherwise behave.
Cognitive distortions are
Negative or irrational patterns of thinking.
Simply ways that Impostor Syndrome convinces us to believe things that aren’t really true.
Inaccurate thought patterns that
Reinforce our negative self perception and
Keep us feeling bad about ourselves
These negative thought patterns can play a role in
Diminishing our motivation,
Lowering our self-esteem
Contributing to problems like
Anxiety,
Depression, and
Substance use.
Trauma Bonding is the attachment an abused person feels for their abuser, specifically in a relationship with a cyclical pattern of abuse.
Is created due to a cycle of abuse and positive reinforcement
After each circumstance of abuse, the abuser professes love, regret, and trying to make the relationship feel safe and needed for the abused person.
Hence Abused
Finds leaving an abusive situation confusing and overwhelming
Involves positive and/or loving feelings for an abuser
Also feel attached to and dependent on their abuser.
Emotional abuse involves controlling another person by using emotions to Criticize , Embarrass ,Shame ,Blame or
Manipulate .
To be abusive there must be a consistent pattern of abusive words and bullying behaviours that Wear down a person’s Self-esteem and Undermine Their mental health.
Most common in married relationships,
Mental or emotional abuse can occur in any relationship—including among
Friends
Family members and
Co-workers
Attachment-related patterns that differ between individuals are commonly called "attachment styles."
There seems to be an association between a person’s attachment characteristics early in life and in adulthood, but the correlations are far from perfect.
Many adults feel secure in their relationships and comfortable depending on others (echoing “secure” attachment in children).
Others tend to feel anxious about their connection with close others—or prefer to avoid getting close to them in the first place (echoing “insecure” attachment in children).
Borderline personality disorder, characterized by a longing for intimacy and a hypersensitivity to rejection, have shown a high prevalence and severity of insecure attachment.
Attachment styles in adulthood (similar to attachment patterns in children):
Secure
Anxious-preoccupied (high anxiety, low avoidance)
Dismissing-avoidant (low anxiety, high avoidance)
Fearful-avoidant (high anxiety, high avoidance)
Conduct disorder is an ongoing pattern of behaviour marked by emotional and behavioural problems.
Ways in which Children with conduct disorder behave are
Angry,
Aggressive,
Argumentative, and
Disruptive ways.
It is a diagnosable mental health condition that is characterized by patterns of violating
Societal norms and
Rights of others
It's estimated that around 3% of school-aged children have conduct disorder and require professional treatment .
It is more common in boys than in girls.
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a psychiatric disorder that typically emerges in childhood, between ages 6 and 8, and can last throughout adulthood.
ODD is more than just normal childhood tantrums
Frequency and severity of ODD causes difficulty at home and at school.
Children with ODD also struggle with learning problems related to their behavior.
Two types of oppositional defiant disorder:
Childhood-onset ODD:
Present from an early age
Requires early intervention and treatment to prevent it from progressing into a more serious conduct disorder
Adolescent-onset ODD:
Begins suddenly in the middle- and high-school years, causing conflict at home and in school
There have been at least 13 different types of intelligence that have been identified so far.
These different ways of being smart can help people perform in different areas from their personal life, business, to sports and relationships.
Attachment is an emotional bond with another person. John Bowlby described attachment as a "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.“
Earliest bonds formed by children (with caregivers) have a tremendous impact that continues throughout life and Attachment so developed
Serves to keep the infant close to the mother, thus improving the child's chances of survival.
Are innate drive Children are born with and is a product of evolutionary processes
Emerges and are regulated through the process of natural selection,
Are characterized by clear behavioural and motivation patterns.
Nurturance and responsiveness were the primary determinants of attachment.
Children who maintained proximity to an attachment figure were more likely to
Receive comfort and protection, and
More likely to survive to adulthood.
e-RUPI is a person and purpose-specific cashless e-voucher designed to guarantee
that the stored money value reaches its intended beneficiary and can only be used for
the specific benefit or purpose for which it was intended. The idea is to create a minimal
logistics, leak-proof delivery mechanism for a wide range of government Direct Benefit
Transfer (DBT) programs across the country. The digital e-voucher platform can also
be used by organizations who wish to support welfare services through e-RUPI instead
of cash
The term ‘Moonlighting’ became popular in America when people started working a second job in addition to their regular 9-to-5 jobs. Since the rise of the work-from-home concept during the pandemic, employees got free time after work hours. While some took up their hobby in their free time, others started searching for part-time jobs. Especially in the IT industry, employees took up two jobs simultaneously and took advantage of the remote working model. This concept of working for two companies/organisations is referred to as moonlighting.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
Resurgent india removes the curse of kashmir
1. Resurgent India removes the curse of Kashmir
Home /Asia, India, Kashmir, Pakistan/Resurgent India removes the curse of Kashmir
Asia,India,Kashmir,Pakistan |
August 21, 2019
Image Credit: Boats on Dal Lake: Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India by Adam Jones/Flickr;
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Written by Brajesh Kumar.
Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution (granting special status to the region of Jammu
and Kashmir) represented a curse on Kashmir by limiting its growth and development and
fostering unmitigated trouble for all the common people, apart from a small minority of
Kashmiris who flourished. The Indian parliament abrogated these provisions on 5 August 2019
by a Presidential Ordinance, which was later ratified by both houses of parliament (the Rajya
Sabha and the Lok Sabha) with more than a two-thirds majority.
It was a bold initiative by a government which had decided to bring an end to the imbroglio in
Kashmir, which had been simmering for more than seven decades, and it surprised most of those
who had some connection with the situation in Kashmir.
Nobody had any inkling as to what was happening. It was a constitutional coup executed with
2. consummate skill
The impasse over any political initiatives due to the attitude of various stakeholders in the region
had become a constant irritant in the Indian scheme of things. At the same time, India’s smaller
western neighbour, Pakistan, seemed to be happy with fuelling a low-intensity conflict in the
state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) over the last three decades, despite adverse international
opinion, which had lately been gathering steam.
The political landscape and reorganisation of Indian states
The erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir comprised five regions, each with its distinct
geography, culture, religion and linguistic diversity. Three of these regions – Jammu, Kashmir
and Ladakh – became part of India, whereas the other two areas – Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
(POK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (previously known as the Northern Areas) – were administered by
Pakistan. The eastern region of Aksai Chin is still disputed between India and China (the Tibet
Autonomous Region), while some areas of the Shaksgam Valley have been ceded by Pakistan to
China (illegally, as far as the Indian government is concerned). Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani
troops are locked in a stalemate in the Siachen Glacier region in the north of Kashmir, which is
the world’s highest battlefield.
The Indian states have been reorganised many times since independence to cater to regional and
sub-regional aspirations, with the intention of bringing democracy closer to the people by
carving out smaller units. The number of states has swelled from 12 to 29, in addition to the 7
Union Territories. Throughout, however, Jammu and Kashmir remained untouched by this
development, despite having greater diversity, and so it was stuck in a time warp with its three
distinct regions.
Governance in Kashmir at the grassroots level
The constitution of the state assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was so crafted that Kashmiris
were given a dominant say on all matters of governance. Not surprisingly, then, until now all the
Chief Ministers of J&K have come from the Kashmir region, which accounts for 16 per cent of
the state’s area and is home to 54.9 per cent of its population.
More importantly, most of the budget has been used in the Kashmir Valley, leaving very little for
the Hindu-majority Jammu region or Buddhist Ladakh. Amendments 73 and 74 to the Indian
Constitution in 1992 provided a fillip to better governance at the Panchayat (district council) and
Zila Parishad (district panchayat) levels, enabling local self-governance with elected
representatives. However, this did not apply to the state of J&K under the special provisions of
Article 370. The dynastic ruling parties in Kashmiri politics – the National Conference (NC) and
the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – did not favour these provisions, however.
It should also be noted that the state receives 9 times more grants and aid on a pro rata and per
capita basis than some of the poorer or larger states in India, such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
However, the quality of governance in Kashmir has been poor, with significant distortions at the
economic level. Many of India’s central laws do not apply in J&K, and the state is also outside
3. the jurisdiction of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s highest police investigative
agency
Special status under Articles 370 and 35A
At the time of Kashmir’s accession to the Union of India, it was temporarily granted special
status to take care of the concerns of Kashmiris and ease the state’s assimilation into the Union.
Since then, a few of these provisos – such as having a separate flag, having separate laws on
issues other than for finance, defence and foreign affairs, and having a Prime Minister as the
elected head of state rather than a Chief Minister – have been removed, but the substantive ones
remained.
Many distortions persist in Jammu and Kashmir. For example, there are still many Sikh and
Muslim refugees from Pakistan and the Northern Areas of Kashmir who remain stateless, 72
years after they first arrived in the state. And Kashmiri women who marry outside the state lose
their rights to residency and/or inheritance. Investment in the state, so vital for growth and
economic activity, has also suffered. Young men educated in the madrasas under the influence of
local imams have had issues while growing up and have been recruited by insurgent groups
wishing to disrupt the administration, rather than enabled to develop a productive career.
Special status has created a new set of stakeholders with strongly vested interests who would
prefer the status quo to continue forever.
The 1989 elections and insurgency
Kashmiris are a gentle people who were not prone to violence. However, the perception of
rigged elections by the ruling local government in 1989 led to the youth becoming disenchanted.
This was perhaps the turning point, when Kashmiris started being influenced by externally aided
radical elements, with Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Muslim states being the main
contributors. The situation became alarming with the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits
(Hindus of the Valley). They were driven away from their land and homes by coercive means,
with the active participation of Pakistan, which has attacked India twice to seize Kashmir by
force.
During the last 30 years Kashmir has seen the growth of state terrorism, which is assumed to be
sponsored by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency with the help of the Hurriyat –
a separatist group based in Kashmir. The Hurriyat also enjoys the support of the NC and the
PDP, and these three together have benefitted immensely from the status quo. Meanwhile, the
people of Jammu and Kashmir have been on the receiving end of the terrorist activities and anti-
terror measures of the security forces. The situation has certainly not benefitted any of them.
Passing the J&K Reorganisation Bill
The J&K Reorganisation Bill, which removes Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution,
envisages breaking up J&K into two Union Territories – Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir –
4. which will be governed centrally from New Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir will have an elected
assembly.
Passage of the bill was handled swiftly by the central government, which inducted additional
armed troops in the region so as to pre-empt any untoward incidents. Other measures included
cancelling the annual Hindu pilgrimage to Amarnath Yatra and requesting tourists to leave the
Valley during its busy season. Members of the Hurriyat and leaders of the dynastic political
parties were taken into protective custody. Hence nobody had any inkling as to what was
happening. It was a constitutional coup executed with consummate skill. Even though it may be
challenged in the Supreme Court, it is unlikely that the bill will be stayed or modified.
Security-related issues
There has now been a paradigm shift in India’s security perspective at the strategic level, as it
moves from being passive/defensive to active/offensive. As the veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta
puts it: ‘Narendra Modi has broken the post-Simla status quo. Pakistan’s space for sub-military
manoeuvre is gone. No political party of consequence is questioning the abrogation of Article
370, only the method.’
More importantly, the Indian Defence Minister has stated that India adheres to the ‘no first use’
nuclear doctrine; what happens in the future depends on circumstances.
We may now even see India being proactive in the two regions of POK and Gilgit–Baltistan,
which would be a first. With little support for the insurgents coming from the Hurriyat, as well as
a crackdown on dubious money and a lack of political patronage from the Valley parties, India’s
Special Forces will be able to control the Kashmir Valley effectively and assist the people of the
region in good governance. Given the size and growth of its economy, India is in a strong
position to influence Pakistan’s poorly governed regions of Gilgit–Baltistan and POK, where
people will be able to see the fruits of development.
Action and reaction
Strong measures are likely to invite reaction from various quarters. Most significantly, it can be
expected that the government of Pakistan and its army will be active, along with local Kashmiri
groups which are inimical to India. The fact that this has not yet happened is due to the element
of surprise and the Indian government’s ability to close down the terror financing. There is no
room for the Indian government to be complacent, however. Tactical restraint is important and
the key to success.
Ladakh now becomes a new Union Territory (UT) (without legislature), which will be governed
centrally from New Delhi. The population will see their dreams fulfilled in terms of
development, economic activity and governance. In Jammu and Kashmir, routine precautionary
measures were imposed, such as a curfew, protective arrests, a temporary ban on cell phone and
internet use, and the induction of additional troops to prevent any untoward incidents.
Restrictions have since been eased in the Jammu region, and in the Kashmir Valley schools have
been told to reopen. Landline communications are also once again being permitted.
5. The road ahead
It has been a challenge to manage the situation in the Kashmir Valley and along the Line of
Control (LOC). Given the current state of Pakistan’s economy, and with the country currently on
the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watch list, it is likely to bide its time. With little
interference expected at the international diplomatic level, India will have to manage the return
to normality in the Kashmir Valley and implement the constitutional changes deftly.
The next major task is to organise the new assembly and move speedily to holding elections in
the region. It is particularly important to ensure that there is a new set of political leaders drawn
from the grassroots level.
In conclusion, now that the ‘curse of Kashmir’ has been removed, the Indian government will
find it easier to convince the people of the Kashmir Valley that they will have a better future by
being integrated into an emerging powerhouse – India – with a responsive form of governance,
where their aspirations are more likely to be met. If the government can achieve this, then it will
have accomplished a difficult job well.
No doubt this will still take a while. The path is long and arduous, but eminently doable. Let us
wish them and the entire set of new stakeholders well.
Major General Brajesh Kumar (Retd) AVSM VSM is a security analyst based in Noida, India.
*Articles published by The Asia Dialogue represent the views of the author(s) and not
necessarily those of The Asia Dialogue or affiliated institutions.