Noted journalist and political commentator Urmilesh’s book “Kashmir : Virasat Aur Siyasat” is perhaps the first book of its kind on Kashmir’s political trajectory that has been written in Hindi. There are, of course, books in Hindi on the topic of Kashmir, but they often take a propagandist bent or tend to resort to a plain distortion of facts. Urmilesh has painstakingly dealt in detail with the political crisis that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing - an atmosphere of turmoil that continues to engulf it even today. The unrest of the past four months is political in nature and one can easily find answers as to how it arose in this book.
With 16 years of hand-on experience in covering the Kashmir conflict, Urmilesh traces the alienation back to the unfulfilled promises made to the people of Kashmir and the way the region was robbed of its autonomy. He lays emphasis on the illegal dismissal of then Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and the way it provided an impetus to the dispute. Quoting Sheikh Adbdullah from his autobiography, the author explains in detail how such a policy impacted the political landscape of Kashmir and how it was seen as a massive betrayal as far as the people were concerned.
The book also covers the history of accession and the instrument that was signed by the Mahraja Hari Singh. It covers political history in a comprehensive way as the author puts things in context by giving a brief account of the ancient and medieval history of Jammu and Kashmir. In that way, it helps the reader to understand the larger political problem in a broad historical perspective.
With 13 chapters and six supplements, the book is a rare one in the Hindi medium. The author’s expression is dispassionate and it connects contemporary Kashmir with the historical blunders committed by New Delhi. For Urmilesh, blatant interference by governments - especially that of Jawaharlal Lal Nehru - aptly account for the roots of the crisis. He also writes in detail about the revolutionary land-to-the-tiller reforms that changed the socio-economic character of the people and the way Sheikh Abdullah keenly conceived and implemented such policies. At the same time, the author is critical of Sheikh Abdullah for what he sees as promoting dynastic rule - by bringing in his son Farooq Abdullah and sidelining towering leaders of his party, the National Conference.
The most important chapters of this book deal with the emergence of militancy in Kashmir. The author blames the Centre for creating a space for dissatisfaction, thus paving the way for thousands of youth to embrace the armed struggle after the 1987 assembly elections were rigged to bring an alliance of the National Conference and Congress into power. To put it briefly, Urmilesh argues that militancy was the outcome of four major factors. First was the Centre’s overall policy towards Kashmir since 1953. Second was the erosion of autonomy and special provisions for the region under the Indian constitution. Third was the horrible affair of the 1987 election, as already alluded to. And fourth was the fact that after Sheikh Abdullah, no one from the mainstream political stream emerged who could have sufficiently commanded the confidence of the Kashmiri people in a difficult time.
Two new chapters of the newly-amended and updated edition (2016) of the book (first published in 2006) make this book more relevant. One chapter deals with four squandered opportunities for a political agreement and the other with the Hindu nationalist approach to Kashmir. The author talks in detail about the historic initiative by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan’s ruling General Parvez Musharraf, later carried forward by Dr. Manmohan Singh. He is of the opinion that the process that ultimately culminated in Musharraf’s four-point formula was the best ever opportunity for some progress towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. But that was unfortunately derailed with the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai and earlier, the delay from New Delhi in responding to the proposal. The bonhomie from 2003 to 2007 changed not only the discourse on Kashmir but also brought discernable change on the ground in Kashmir. He rues the fact that the political leadership after 2007 could not muster the courage to pick up the threads and take the peace process to its logical conclusion. He pays tribute to the people of Kashmir for showing resilience while passing through immense tribulations in the last 26 years. The author also mentions the people’s urge to see a democratic solution to the festering dispute and also talks about how they reposed faith in democratic institutions from time to time but unfortunately did not find reciprocation in New Delhi.
Urmilesh’s book is certainly a significant contribution to our contemporary understanding of Kashmir’s turbulent history. There is a need to have more such books in Hindi so that the larger population of India can have access to a more critical narrative on Kashmir and its history, politics and pain.
With 16 years of hand-on experience in covering the Kashmir conflict, Urmilesh traces the alienation back to the unfulfilled promises made to the people of Kashmir and the way the region was robbed of its autonomy. He lays emphasis on the illegal dismissal of then Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and the way it provided an impetus to the dispute. Quoting Sheikh Adbdullah from his autobiography, the author explains in detail how such a policy impacted the political landscape of Kashmir and how it was seen as a massive betrayal as far as the people were concerned.
For Urmilesh, the process leading to Musharraf's four-point agenda was the best opportunity for peace
The book also covers the history of accession and the instrument that was signed by the Mahraja Hari Singh. It covers political history in a comprehensive way as the author puts things in context by giving a brief account of the ancient and medieval history of Jammu and Kashmir. In that way, it helps the reader to understand the larger political problem in a broad historical perspective.
With 13 chapters and six supplements, the book is a rare one in the Hindi medium. The author’s expression is dispassionate and it connects contemporary Kashmir with the historical blunders committed by New Delhi. For Urmilesh, blatant interference by governments - especially that of Jawaharlal Lal Nehru - aptly account for the roots of the crisis. He also writes in detail about the revolutionary land-to-the-tiller reforms that changed the socio-economic character of the people and the way Sheikh Abdullah keenly conceived and implemented such policies. At the same time, the author is critical of Sheikh Abdullah for what he sees as promoting dynastic rule - by bringing in his son Farooq Abdullah and sidelining towering leaders of his party, the National Conference.
The most important chapters of this book deal with the emergence of militancy in Kashmir. The author blames the Centre for creating a space for dissatisfaction, thus paving the way for thousands of youth to embrace the armed struggle after the 1987 assembly elections were rigged to bring an alliance of the National Conference and Congress into power. To put it briefly, Urmilesh argues that militancy was the outcome of four major factors. First was the Centre’s overall policy towards Kashmir since 1953. Second was the erosion of autonomy and special provisions for the region under the Indian constitution. Third was the horrible affair of the 1987 election, as already alluded to. And fourth was the fact that after Sheikh Abdullah, no one from the mainstream political stream emerged who could have sufficiently commanded the confidence of the Kashmiri people in a difficult time.
Two new chapters of the newly-amended and updated edition (2016) of the book (first published in 2006) make this book more relevant. One chapter deals with four squandered opportunities for a political agreement and the other with the Hindu nationalist approach to Kashmir. The author talks in detail about the historic initiative by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan’s ruling General Parvez Musharraf, later carried forward by Dr. Manmohan Singh. He is of the opinion that the process that ultimately culminated in Musharraf’s four-point formula was the best ever opportunity for some progress towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. But that was unfortunately derailed with the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai and earlier, the delay from New Delhi in responding to the proposal. The bonhomie from 2003 to 2007 changed not only the discourse on Kashmir but also brought discernable change on the ground in Kashmir. He rues the fact that the political leadership after 2007 could not muster the courage to pick up the threads and take the peace process to its logical conclusion. He pays tribute to the people of Kashmir for showing resilience while passing through immense tribulations in the last 26 years. The author also mentions the people’s urge to see a democratic solution to the festering dispute and also talks about how they reposed faith in democratic institutions from time to time but unfortunately did not find reciprocation in New Delhi.
Urmilesh’s book is certainly a significant contribution to our contemporary understanding of Kashmir’s turbulent history. There is a need to have more such books in Hindi so that the larger population of India can have access to a more critical narrative on Kashmir and its history, politics and pain.