The peace dividend

It would be sensible for Atal Behari Vajpayee to turn his attention as soon as possible to Jamp;K and to what it proposes to do to build on...

It would be sensible for Atal Behari Vajpayee to turn his attention as soon as possible to Jamp;K and to what it proposes to do to build on the initiatives taken by the Narasimha Rao and Deve Gowda governments to strengthen democracy and step up development work in the State. In the midst of other major claims on the Centre8217;s attention it may be considered prudent for it to leave well enough alone. But complacency would be a mistake as would rushing in without adequate preparation. Beneath the relative calm on the surface in Jamp;K are many unfulfilled popular expectations. Passivity should not be taken for contentment. As Mufti Mohammed Sayed, the new Congress MP, rightly stresses in an interview to this newspaper, the fact that insurgency has reached a point of fatigue does not mean that hearts and minds have been won by the other, democratic side of the political spectrum. There is not much time available to the Vajpayee government to collect its thoughts on the subject. As soon as the Lok Sabha election inLadakh is completed in late June, Jamp;K will be impatient to hear what policy packages the government has in mind.

It is worth examining at this juncture how far Jamp;K has come out of its long night. Three general elections in the last two years have given democratic forces their best chance in a decade to try and offer the people a sound alternative. That has played an important part in taking Kashmir off the radars of western capitals where it appeared as a major flashpoint for most of the last decade. Both those factors act as restraints on the hardliners in Islamabad and this, in turn, leaves some scope for Nawaz Sharif to pursue a broad agenda in bilateral negotiations with New Delhi. These gains should not be thrown away. Within Jamp;K things are still at a delicate stage. Nothing could be worse for the people of the state than to wake to a false dawn, to find that the battle against insurgency has been a victory for self-serving politicians in Srinagar and New Delhi.

On the BJP lies the responsibility ofensuring the state has the means to rebuild its economy. Substantial funds are required for reconstruction and for new, employment-generating projects. Although various political constructions can be put on the National Conference8217;s neutral stance in the vote of confidence in Parliament, it is better seen at this stage as proof of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah8217;s intent to cooperate with the Centre. That makes for a good beginning. At the same time, Abdullah should be doing far more to tone up his administration. The best-laid plans for regeneration of the economy will mean little unless there are visible improvements in people8217;s lives. Finally, the political side of the equation demands attention. The Centre must consider a framework for broad-based political consultations with the intention of bringing an end to militancy in the state.