Aasha Khosa/New Delhi

On the sixth anniversary of historic changes in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir – the Abrogation of Article 370 that gave special powers to the state, including its flag, constitution, exemption from following the laws made by Parliament, and its division into two Union territories – here are 10 major changes the people of the State have gone through:

Rights regime

The loud political discourse on J&K often silenced the sad story of the refugees, the Scheduled castes, women, and others who had been deprived of equal rights in J&K despite these being guaranteed by the Indian constitution. The suspension of the special powers gave a new life to the Valmiki community, refugees of the partition and subsequent wars with Pakistan, and above all, the valiant Gorkha community. These communities of about 3 lakh people had been deprived of citizenship rights, jobs, and land ownership by the J&K regime. According to Home Minister Amit Shah, who spoke in Lok Sabha in 2021, 2642 Valmiki families, 592 Gurkhas, and 43 other families had been provided domicile certificates.

Special rights of Tribals

Jammu and Kashmir has a big population of tribal communities – Gujars, Bakerwals, and the recently added Pahadis. The Gujjars and Bakerwals live off the land in forests, and they did not get the benefit of the Forest Rights Act, which changed the lives of 8 crores tribal people in India. The law, now applicable to J&K, is being implemented, and forest dwellers and those dependent on it have been given the rights to the land they have lived on for generations.

Women’s Rights

Women in J&K faced a strange situation wherein they were discouraged from marrying outsiders. The Men had no such restriction. This meant that a J&K-born woman marrying an outsider – even an Indian – would lose her right to be a permanent citizen (of J&K), her government job, and be denied admission into a higher educational institution and inherit property. As against this, even a foreigner married to a J&K man was entitled to become a citizen of J&K. This discriminatory regime is dead.

Rapid development

J&K lagged in development as the rest of India moved on with rapid infrastructure development and industrialization. The Delhi to Kashmir railway line has already changed the lives of the people to travel out of the Valley. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by the Narendra Modi government will pave the way for more power generation from rivers in J&K.

Heavy drop in violence

Life has returned to normal in Srinagar and most of the Valey as regular hartals called by Hurriyat Conference have become a thing of the past. According to authorities, there is a 90 percent fall in the casulties of civilians due across Kashmir. People are enjoying normal life and looking forward to jobs, ventures and a bright future. Many NRIs are returning home to launch their agri businesses and other ventures.

No confusion

The young Kashmiris are gradually coming out of the idea that they enjoy more political rights than the people of the rest of India. The narrative of special status had fuelled secessionist sentiments in the Valley, and politicians exploited it further. It's heartening to see children attending school round the year, locals venturing out in parks and going on family picnics and doing all normal things they missed during three decades of terrorism.

Sending the Right signal

The move sent the right signals to Pakistan, which also used the ‘special status of J&K’ to whip up anti-India sentiments and lure the local youth to wage its proxy war against India in J&K. J&K is as much and important part of India and the rest chganged the discourse on Kashmir internationally.

No funerals for terrorists

The biggest change that observers saw and appreciated in addressing the pro-terror ecosystem in Kashmir was the ban on the grand funerals of terrorists killed by security forces. These hugely attended funerals romanticised terrorism and motivated youth to join a terrorist organisation. No wonder, Kashmir no longer sees stone-throwing armies of youth out on the road and a 90 per cent fall in the recruitment of locals in terrorist organizations. Organisations like Hurriyat Conference vanished overnight.

Focused counterterrorism approach

With J&K becoming a Union territory the law and counter and fighting the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and proxy war is the full responsibility of the center. No longer the State and center can blame each other or lack of synergy among forces for laxity on this front. This approach is helping in eliminating terrorism at a rate as never before. 

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Tourism

Kashmir became the venue for big international events like the G-20 summit programmes after a long time. As a result, tourism flourished during these six years as a record number of tourists visited Kashmir. This flow has slowed down with Pakistani terrorists killing 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 22. Delhi’s commitment to peace and progress in J&K was evident in the way India retaliated with Operation Sindoor to teach Pakistan a lesson in retaliation for the Pahalgam massacre.