J038;K038;L

It has always been far too easy to think of India8217;s problematic northern state in terms of the Kashmir valley8217;s troubles alone. Jammu and Kashmir8217;s special constitutional status, while technically tied to history surrounding the accession to India of the entire former princely state, tended to be viewed, in practice, as something required to keep the Valley under control. As New Delhi8217;s conception of the state8217;s problems became focused more and more narrowly, it missed what should have been obvious: like so many states in India, J038;K has distinct regions, each with its own distinct problems. It is this lack of vision that is returning to haunt the Central government now.

We are for the first time seeing the consequences of that attitude on the front pages of national newspapers. Yes, it is not the first time that parts of the state have rebelled against what they see as domination from Srinagar: Ladakh rose up in 1989 demanding union territory status, for example, but since that agitation coincided with the start of the decade-long Kashmir insurgency, it received little attention. Things remained tense; in 2006, there were sporadic clashes between the newly radical Ladakh Buddhist Association and Shia organisations. Some in Jammu, of course, have long claimed that Jammu contributes too much to the state exchequer, and receives too little in return in terms of government patronage; and the VHP, in its wisdom, wants a four-way split of the state, including an enclave for Kashmiri Pandits within the enclave of the Valley. There may not be the soundest of administrative or economic reasons for any of these demands, but what is undeniable is that the politics of the three regions have always been distinct, and the distinctions are growing ever sharper. A policy of funnelling government money into the state to keep it quiet will only exacerbate the problem, as all manner of small-time leaders start competing for funds 8212; leading to resentment and anger among those who lose out.

Yes, J038;K has problems that may differ from those of most other states in India; but that does not mean that some of its problems are not the same. Concerns that culturally distinct regions within states are being neglected have been common throughout independent India8217;s history: the problem here is that Kashmir8217;s uniqueness has caused its sameness to be overlooked. As the fires flare up across J038;K8217;s three regions, it is time that it was corrected.