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Journalism of Courage
Before this storm in the Valley,before the calm that preceded it,former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said that the touchstone for the peace process in Kashmir should be insaniyat,or humanity. That is as true today as it was then,and his successor made the same thing clear in his opening remarks to an all-party conference called to discuss the crisis in Kashmir. A political solution,said Manmohan Singh,will be one that addresses the alienation and emotional needs of the people. In itself,the substance and style of his speech marked a departure from how New Delhi has addressed the current trouble in the Valley so far: he acknowledged that there is some truth in the claim that the stone-pelting protests are born of a genuine sense of grievance.
What will be crucial is if this re-orientation translates into better action on the ground. One by-product of the prime ministers speech is that there are now deliverables laid out by which both Central and state policy responses in Kashmir can be judged. A new jobs programme,for example. And increasing the capability of the Jammu and Kashmir police for independent and effective action. The contours of a future response were carefully avoided,perhaps in order to avoid pre-judging the conclusion of an intra-state political consensus. But what is clear is that,by both New Delhis standards and those of the young people throwing stones on Srinagars streets,concrete movement towards greater grassroots political engagement is essential.
