Separatist leadership need to think if resumption of evening life can really do the needful
The sunset boulevard symbolizes carefree walks, smiling faces, a good life and good night. Come this August to Kashmir and you will find a paradox.
Shops do open in evenings, people do rush to the markets, there is also a buzz on the streets but don’t misunderstand it for normal living. It’s just a relaxation in the strike calendar called by Hurriyat (G). Normally night life is a part of Ramadan in Muslim majority places, but in Kashmir it relates to abnormal circumstances. In real terms Kashmir has not witnessed normal evening life for the past 20 years since the armed struggle first broke out in the valley in 1990s. In the peak days of militancy, shops and businesses establishments used to close by five in the evening. Twenty years down the line nothing has changed except that now they open only after five. In nineties if you dared to keep your business establishments open by late evenings, chances were you will become a victim of cross-firing or troopers will shoot you for violating the night curfew. Today if you dare to open your shop before five, chances are you will face shower of stones by your own people. In nineties open shops in late evenings symbolized an expression that defied the writ of government; today the strike expresses solidarity with all those who were killed in the CRPF and police action in the last 80 days. It also symbolizes the fight for justice. With every civilian killing and the subsequent failure of the government to punish the culprits, the separatist calendars are endorsed. But the question remains, how long can this continue? How long can people sustain this struggle by closing their businesses at the cost of their livelihoods? According to reports, 62000 people, mostly in tourism sector, are going to lose their jobs if the cycle of shutdowns and curfews continues. The separatist leadership has to understand that these massive layoffs are going to make Kashmir economy further more dependent on Indian state as more youth will look towards the government for jobs and economic stability. This could have an adverse consequence on the movement as stakes and priorities could shift for people working under the government. The separatist leadership also needs to realize whether these calendar-breathers are enough to sustain the livelihoods of common Kashmiris? How are these night breaks going to help a labourer? These are the questions which will surface as these new-style strikes carry on. Separatists have to find ways and approaches to justify the new scheme of things taking into account the poor Kashmiris who even otherwise live hand-to-mouth.
Read Also