India Today – August 19, 2019

AUGUST19, 2019 INDIATODAY 17

tisgarhcadre,wasanotherkeyperson
intheloop.HewaspostedasJ&Kchief
secretaryinJunetoconductaground
assessmentandsendfeedbackaboutthe
probableimplications.
Thecountdowntothedilutionof
Article 370 beganthedaythegovern-
mentbeganputtingseparatistlead-
ersunderhousearrest.However,the
housearrestsofHurriyatleaderMir-
waizUmarFarooqandothersonJune
22 weredescribedaspre-emptiveac-
tionaheadofthethirdanniversaryof
thekillingofmili-
tantBurhanWani.
Sourcesclosetothe
establishmentsay
thiswasthestart
ofthegovernment’s
‘MissionKashmir’.
GiventheModigov-
ernment’sinscrutable
ways,nooneknewfor
surewhatwasgoing
on.Thereweresome
hints,though.On
July20,aseniorIn-
telligenceBureau(IB)
officialtoldaneventorganisertodrop
aproposedseminaronKashmir’sprob-
lemsbecause“somethingwastohappen
withinafortnight”.

BylateJuly,aroundthetimethe
governmentfinaliseditsplan,the
numberofthoseintheknowhad
growntonearlytwodozen.Inthe

loopweretheUnionhomesecretary,

chiefsoftheResearchandAnalysis

Wing(R&AW)andIB,chiefsofthe

threedefenceservices,externalaffairs

ministerS.Jaishankar,theprincipal

secretarytothePM,thecabinetsecre-

tary,thePresidentofIndiaaswellas

officialsassociatedwiththedraftingof

thebillandtheresolutiontobepassed

inParliament.

Shah’splanningwasmeticulous.

AsD-daydrewcloser,theAmarnath

Yatrawastruncatedandpilgrimssent

backonwhatnow

appearstobearuse.

Thearmysaidithad

unearthedacross-

borderconspiracyto

targetthepilgrims.

Shellingalongthe

LoCwassteppedup.

Sourcessaidkeeping

theLoChotmeant

multiplethings.One

ofthemwastowarn

Pakistanagainstany

misadventure.An-

otherwastoconfuse

theterroristsonIndianterritoryaswell

asthePakistanisofIndia’sintent.Itwas

unlikelyIndiawouldsimultaneously

embarkonattackingtheLoCandtake

toughactionintheValley.

Dovalplayedapivotalroleinwhat

wastohappennext.Over45,000para-

militarytrooperswerereportedlyflown

Thenextstepis

likelytobe

delimitationof

theJ&Klegislative

assembly,wherethe

seatsareheavily

skewedinfavour

oftheValley

hisPakistanicounter-
partNawazShariftohis
swearing-in.Later,India
scrapstalkswithPakistan
afteritshighcommis-
sionerinvitesHurriyat
separatistsforconsulta-
tions

2014-
MuftiMohammad
Sayeedbecomeschief
ministerinaPDP-BJP
alliancegovernment

April4, 2016

MehboobaMuftibecomes

thestate’sfirstwoman

chiefministerfollowing

adelayofthreemonths

afterherfather’sdeath

July8, 2016

HizbulcommanderBurhan

Waniisgunneddowninan

encounterwiththeJ&K

police,leadingtoviolent

protestsandtheimposi-

tionofcurfews

June19, 2018

Mehboobaresignsas

chiefminister,Governor’s

ruleimposed

August5, 2019

TheModigovernment

scrapsJ&K’sspecial

statusgrantedunder

Article 370 andbifurcates

thestateintotwoUnion

territories:Jammu&

KashmirandLadakh

—AjitK.Jha

into the Valley (the actual number is

thought to be much higher). They

joined the nearly 300,000 army per-

sonnel already posted there to guard

the borders with Pakistan and for

counter-terrorism operations. Advi-

sories issued to 12 states to keep an eye

on communally sensitive areas were

now extended to all states. Communal

hotspots in the Kashmir Valley were

put under drone surveillance.

Jaishankar briefed the envoys

of several nations on the proposed

move in J&K, to convince them of the

soundness of the Indian position. A

senior government official involved

in the strategy says the foreign policy

outreach was necessary. “The his-

tory of the past 70 years shows that

western nations and Islamic coun-

tries have often taken a pro-Pakistan

stand on J&K,” the official said. The

world was largely acquiescent and the

UAE, a prominent Organisation of

Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member,

called the move ‘an internal matter’

of India. While Pakistan’s shrill re-

sponse found no global echo, the UN

on August 6 urged both countries to

exercise restraint. Pakistan PM Imran

Khan warned of more Pulwama-like

suicide attacks and an India-Pakistan

war—a statement possibly aimed at

his domestic audience. On August 7,

Pakistan announced it was suspend-

ing bilateral trade with India and re-

called its acting high commissioner

fromNewDelhi.

T

he Modi-Shah-Doval

trio planned for the

government to send

out pro-Kashmiri sig-

nals after the dilution

of Article 370. BJP and RSS leaders

were told to be restrained in their cel-

ebrations. The party line adopted was

to explain how Article 370 had stifled

Kashmir’s development, kept people

backward and only made certain po-

litical families prosperous. It’s worth

noting here that while economic

growth in the state has been fitful and

per capita income below the national

average, the poverty rate in J&K was