EU parliamentarians’ Kashmir visit – PR stunt or perception management?
The European parliamentarians’ visit to Kashmir after the abrogation of its special privileges is consistent with New Delhi’s 30-year old policy of sharing its story of combatting cross border terrorism in the Muslim-majority region with the world at large.
By Aasha Khosa
The European parliamentarians’ visit to Kashmir after the abrogation of its special privileges may have kicked off a row with the opposition leaders blaming the Narendra Modi government for ‘internationalising’ a domestic situation, yet it’s consistent with New Delhi’s 30-year old policy of sharing its story of combatting cross border terrorism in the Muslim-majority region with the world at large.
Ironically, it was the Congress-led government of P V Narsimha Rao that had first opened Kashmir to scrutiny by foreigners on the premise that in the difficult war against Islamic terrorism in Kashmir, Delhi has nothing to hide or be apologetic about. Also, the visitors – diplomats based in New Delhi cobbled as groups from different political blocs –were shown the telltale signs of Pakistan’s direct involvement in supplying arms to terrorists and training them in their use during the briefings.
The EU parliamentarians’ visit being a private one does not make a difference to India’s target of countering the shrill propaganda of Pakistan and its allies like Malaysia and Turkey about Kashmiris being under a complete siege. As the visitors moved around and saw shops open and students writing the examination, they got a reality check. The killing of six non-Kashmiri workers on the same day by Pakistan-backed terrorists were enough for them to realise that terrorists backed by Islamabad want to create a scare and disrupt normal life in Kashmir.
Likewise, what Europeans saw in Srinagar negated the perceptions carried by many governments and articulated some even UN chief about Kashmir continuing to be under curfew even three months after its complete merger with India. They used telephones and mobiles. One parliamentarian said he even used a slow-speed internet to check emails. The Internat ban, however, remains in place across the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, mainly with the purpose of preventing terrorists and their supporters from mobilising protests and terror attacks.
True, that this ban has put a large population to inconvenience; it’s also a fact that no civilian has died at the hands of forces during this period. The right to life is held above the right to use the internet: with this tagline, the Indian security setup is able to make a point to those willing to listen and make an objective assessment of the situation.
As per standard protocol, the visitors are given briefings based on facts and figures by the Army followed by a question-answer session. During one such briefing, where the writer was present, to Gulf region envoys in the nineties, an ambassador asked smart questions to check the veracity of what he was being told. He asked Kashmiri soldiers to quote a particular verse of the Quran to confirm if they were Muslims indeed.
Visitors realise that it’s ethnic Kashmiris who are in the forefront of fighting terrorism and running administration in Kashmir. This often becomes an eyeopener for them.
Another time an envoy from a Muslim country told the then Governor G C Saxena that India would have to rein in overground supporters of terrorists to end violence. He had carried a bunch of local newspapers – in Urdu and English – with portions he saw as seditious highlighted for the governor and ask him how could the government allow that.
As Indian economy shines and the world continues to battle terror hotspots without much success, New Delhi has given up its defensiveness on tackling terror in Kashmir. It has managed to expose Pakistan’s link up with terrorism and it’s also taking on the countries backing Islamabad for their duplicity.
India’s unequivocal condemnation of Turkey’s recent threat to attack Syria is an example of this. Also using tactics of economic pressure on Malaysia as the Indian traders cancelled import of palm oil from that country is yet another proof of New Delhi’s changed policy. Even taking on China that has chosen to poke its nose in Kashmir on Article 370 revocation for the sake of its bosom friend Pakistan, is no longer seen as adventurism by policymakers in Delhi.
Emboldened by the outcome of EU parliamentarians visit to Kashmir, the Modi government is planning more visits by foreigners in the coming days. All this, the government believes, is separate from domestic politics since international perception management is important for investors and the country’s image. Besides, India is also eyeing foreign investments in Jammu and Kashmir to rev up economy and development since three decades of terrorism and unrest there have taken the region behind by many years.
(The writer is a senior journalist from Kashmir who has been covering Kashmir for two three decades)
Asha Khosa has been able to communicate reality in a simple, exact and effective way.The people in general feel scared of MILITANTS in the valley of Kashmir who generally kill the common people who try to open their mouth against them. Unfortunately five Muslim gentleman were killed by MILITANTS during the visit of EU parliamentarians.During the last three months no civilian was killed by security forces and the security forces of India are there to protect the civilians.