Kashmir completes 5 years of New Delhi’s direct rule

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – Indian-administered Kashmir completed five years of direct Indian rule on Monday amid calls by major political parties for the restoration of electoral democracy in the region that was divested of its political autonomy in 2019.

The governor’s rule was imposed on June 20, 2018, after a split between the region’s unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India’s ruling Hindu nationalist party, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), one of the two largest regional political parties of Jammu and Kashmir, making it the second longest spell of direct Delhi’s rule over the region.

During direct rule, the region’s administration is run by the central government until an elected government is formed.

The BJP and PDP had formed a coalition government in 2015 after agreeing on an Agenda of Alliance, a set of points that aimed at focusing on administration while maintaining the status quo on contentious political issues.

On June 19, 2018, the BJP withdrew from the coalition and criticized the PDP, which led the power, for having “failed in its responsibility.” The BJP claimed that “violence had increased in Kashmir Valley and fundamental rights were under threat.”

The power of the state was assumed the next day by its then-Governor Narinder Nath Vohra. In Aug. 2018, Vohra was replaced by Satya Pal Malik, who became the last governor of erstwhile India’s only Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, which was downgraded and divided into two federally ruled territories, and divested of its autonomy on Aug. 5, 2019.

Before the abrogation of political autonomy, a governor in Jammu and Kashmir, unlike other Indian states, had sweeping powers such as ordering legislation. The separate constitution of Jammu and Kashmir – another unique feature of the state’s autonomy – allowed for the imposition of governor’s rule, which remained applicable for six months before the President’s rule, or direct rule by the Indian government, set in motion.

When the PDP staked claim to power again in November 2018 in a faxed letter to Governor Malik, with the support of Congress and another regional party, the National Conference, having more than the required number of seats in the local assembly, he dissolved the assembly, leaving no chance for the formation of an elected government.

Nearly a year later, the state itself was dissolved and its autonomy was scrapped without the consent of the elected representatives.

The governor defended his decision by claiming that he apprehended "extensive horse-trading" and the "impossibility" of forming a stable government by coming together political parties with "opposing political ideologies."

His decision was criticized by several politicians who alluded to the similarly opposing political ideologies of the PDP and BJP, which were in power only a few months earlier.

Since the creation of the governor’s post in 1965, the Jammu and Kashmir region has witnessed the governor’s rule for the longest period of any Indian state. In Oct. 2019, the governor’s post was abolished, and a Lieutenant Governor was appointed for the now-‘Union Territory’ of Jammu and Kashmir.

Until now, the state has been under Delhi’s direct rule for more than 12 years of the 57 years a governor has been in office, despite criticism from pro-India Kashmiri political parties that direct rule has been widely used to subvert democratic processes in the region’s turbulent.

Imran Nabi Dar, a spokesman for National Conference, which was in power in 1990 when the anti-India insurgency erupted and the longest spell of governor’s rule – five years and 10 months – was launched, told Anadolu that there was no rationale to further extend the ongoing spell of direct rule.

“One could understand the logic behind the governor’s rule in 1990. Militancy was at its peak, and the situation was volatile. But today, the ruling BJP claims that there is normalcy, there are no strikes or protests, and that tourists are coming in hordes. So, what is the justification for not holding elections?” he asked.

He said the administration is being run by a “bureaucracy and accountability is lacking.” When the Indian government recently hosted a tourism meeting of G-20 nations in the capital Srinagar, apparently to bolster its claim over the region internationally following the abrogation of autonomy, several political parties questioned why the situation is not conducive to elections if it is normal enough for such a big international event.

India’s ruling BJP, however, maintains that announcing an election is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India.

“As a political party, we are more ready for elections today than tomorrow. We are a democracy, and more than anyone else we are eager for elections to be held.” BJP spokesman Arun Gupta told Anadolu. But, he added, “The call for elections has to be taken by the Election Commission.”

“The Election Commission is an autonomous body. They take into account security scenarios and other factors before announcing the elections. So they have to take a call, but as a party, we are ready for elections on any day,” he said.