Mains Practice Questions

Approach

• Begin by contextualizing the Kashmir crisis with development deficit.
• Evaluate the role of development in protracting and intensifying the Kashmir conflict.
• Conclude by acknowledging other factors as well which are responsible for the crisis.

Introduction

Kashmir crisis has been one of the most contentious and divisive issues within and outside India. The reason for this crisis is attributed to various factors including- the lack of development in the region which causes popular disgruntlement with the Government, radicalization, stone pelting and secessionist demands.

Body

Relation between Development and Problems of Kashmir:

• A look at recent data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), which was conducted in 2015-16, suggests that Jammu and Kashmir fares better on development indicators when compared with all-India averages, or with insurgency-affected states such as Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Chhattisgarh.
• Kashmir fares better than many states on socio-economic indicators, but this could be largely attributed to the disproportionate spending by the central government. Between 2000-2016 Kashmir received 10 percent of the total funds given out to states by the centre even though it only represents 1 percent of the country’s population.
• However, the role of socio-economic factors can not be dismissed altogether, in permeating the crisis in kashmir. According to the 2011 census, the share of 0-14 year old population was slightly higher in Jammu and Kashmir (34%) than all India (31%). However students suffer from lack of access to quality education due to curfews, protests and targeting of schools by the terrorists. Youths are indoctrinated and misguided towards stone pelting and other subversive activities.
• Apart from this, Kashmir also has an employment generation issue, which is again linked to low investment in the economy. According to the 2011 census, Jammu and Kashmir had a much smaller share of men workers (who are employed for more than six months in a year) in comparison to the rest of India and other conflict-ridden states.
• The 2015 Kashmir Mental Health Survey conducted by the international humanitarian organisation, Doctors Without Borders, found that 45% of adults in the Kashmir valley display major symptoms of mental distress, with about one in five adults, or 19% of the adult population, displaying major symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The survey put the prevalence of depression in adults at 41%. In contrast, the National Mental Health Survey of India 2015-16 puts the weighted prevalence of depression at the all-India level in single digits.
• Undoubtedly, Jammu and Kashmir lags behind others in attracting investment, creating jobs, becoming a manufacturing or services hub, and ensuring the rights to its citizens. All these have cumulatively affected the prevalent social conditions and shaped Kashmiri perception towards the State machinery.
• Yet, a conflict such as that in Kashmir can rarely be pinned down to just one cause. Years of armed conflict, infiltration aided by Pakistan, and the heavily militarized environment has taken an emotional toll on the state’s population.

Conclusion

For the permanent cessation of this conflict, India needs to move forward with a humanitarian approach, creating better educational and economic prospects for local youth along with dealing sternly with cross border terrorism.