Lost horizons

Internal security has moved up on the Central government's agenda. As part of the plan to counter insurgency and terrorism, a new set of mea...

Internal security has moved up on the Central government8217;s agenda. As part of the plan to counter insurgency and terrorism, a new set of measures is to be announced at the meeting of the chief ministers of northeastern states which the Union home minister called for mid-June. Home Ministry statistics reveal that counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast have already been stepped up this year. But these are evidently not considered adequate and a change of tactics appears to be on the anvil.

Indications are the new measures will be much tougher than anything hitherto and will involve a large role for the state police, probably on the lines of the methods used to deal with militancy in Punjab. As L. K. Advani stated during his visit to Jamp;K, 8220;Terrorism will be tackled without false pity8221;. At an earlier May 8 review meeting on the Northeast, he said experience in Punjab and Kashmir shows 8220;insurgency can be tackled effectively only when the state police functions efficiently8221;.

It is clear the Centreis making areas of insurgency, both Jamp;K and the Northeast, one of its key priorities. That is necessary. What is not obvious is whether the effort to find political solutions has been given up altogether although the defence minister went on the record after his tour of the Northeast with the statement that the government was prepared to talk with insurgent groups. In any case, however much law and order demands attention, the government should not lose sight of the fact that the essential issues are economic development and good governance. Having committed itself in May to various development programmes in the Northeast and to institutional mechanisms to support them, the Centre needs to ensure the people get to see the results soon. The same is true of Jamp;K which still waits to enjoy all the benefits of representative democracy.

Successive governments at the Centre have been only too willing to offer Jamp;K and the Northeast grand-sounding economic packages and then quickly turn their attention elsewhere.Throwing money at a problem never solved it. Central disbursements per capita in the Northeast, for example, are probably the highest in the country. But no one can claim that peace and stability have resulted or that ordinary people are much better off. In the absence of central government initiatives, private investment has not acquired the necessary momentum for reconstructing the Jamp;K economy and integrating it with the rest of the country. Priorities in these regions are bound to get skewed by new law and order concerns unless the Centre puts its weight behind the development and good governance agenda. Many projects wait to be completed, trade channels are poor.

Transparency and democratic accountability in the states are desperately in need of improvement. The agenda must be broad. The Centre8217;s interest must be sustained. The search for durable peace and stability cannot be based only on law and order measures but must involve policies to improve the quality of life and make government more responsiveto public aspirations.