The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– Jun 3, 2022; Day 303

Grim (Shockingly offensive) turn: On targeted killings in Kashmir

The removal of its special status has seen the beginning of fresh challenges in Kashmir

Nine civilians have been killed in targeted killings by militants in the past 22 days in Kashmir, including a Kashmiri Pandit employee, a Hindu schoolteacher from Jammu and a bank manager from Rajasthan. This has triggered (Put in motion, initiate) a wave of protests in the Valley from the minority communities. Protesting since May 12 when Rahul Bhat, a Pandit employee, was killed in his office, over 4,000 Pandit employees recruited under a special package are on the verge of (at the point when (something) is about to happen or is very likely to happen) another migration as in the 1990s. Their leaders say they are contemplating (Consider as a possibility) mass exodus (A journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment) and resignations unless relocated outside the Valley. The abominable (Exceptionally bad or displeasing) terrorist violence and the predicament (A situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one) of the Pandits and Hindus denote a grim reversal of all the gains towards peace and reconciliation (The reestablishing of cordial relations) in the last decade or so. The Valley had welcomed a subtle (Difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyse) and slow return of Kashmiri Pandits, a segment of those who left in the face of a surge (A sudden or abrupt strong increase) in violence and targeted killings in the 1990s. Their return was encouraged by the comprehensive policy of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who in 2008 worked on a strategy: a political outreach (the extent or length of reaching out) to stakeholders of Kashmir’s political spectrum (A broad range of related objects, values, qualities, ideas or activities) for creating a conducive (helpful) atmosphere and, at the same time, extending permanent financial support to Pandits willing to return.

The Prime Minister’s Package for Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmir migrants not only offered jobs to Pandit youths but also doled out (Give or provide in small portions) an initial financial assistance of ₹7.5 lakh per family, which was later increased to ₹20-₹25 lakh — in three instalments for those who settled in the Valley. It is not a mere coincidence that a turn for the worse coincided with the Centre’s new push to alter (Make different) Kashmir’s relations with India, starting with the termination (The act of ending something) of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and special constitutional status in 2019. On December 31, 2020, a Hindu goldsmith was killed; a series of targeted killings of members of the minorities, including Kashmiri Pandits, started from October 6, 2021 when Makhan Lal Bindroo who ran the famous Bindroo Medicate was killed in his shop in Srinagar. Guest workers in the Valley from other parts of the country have also been felled. Policies implemented by the Centre regarding land and government jobs are perceived in Jammu and Kashmir as disadvantageous (Involving or creating circumstances detrimental to success or effectiveness) to locals, increasing the sense of alienation (Separation resulting from hostility) that is being exploited (Use or manipulate to one’s advantage) by separatists and Pakistan-backed terrorists. The Centre must take measures to ensure the security of Hindus, and migrant workers in the Valley, at any cost as an immediate response. It must also think afresh (Again but in a new or different way) its Kashmir policy and create space for political dialogue. It seems the dilution (Weakening) of Article 370 was not the end of the problem but the beginning of fresh challenges in Kashmir, which need careful handling rather than just muscular triumphalism (Gloating or excessive celebration over the defeat of an opponent).

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