GOVERNANCE OPTICS ONLY

If we go by the outcome of the PM’s all-party meeting with Jammu and Kashmir politicians, the centre has stayed true to its course on Kashmir, writes Riyaz Wani

- Riyaz Wani

Everyone in Jammu and Kashmir looked forward to the meeting of the leaders of the political parties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24. But for a large majority of people, there’s little reason for celebration at the outcome of the much-hyped event. The Prime Minister has offered no timeframe on the restoration of the statehood, the maximum the centre is willing to give.

In a tweet, Modi laid stress on the completion of the delimitation exercise to be followed by the elections. The home minister Amit Shah said as much in his tweet. The statehood has been promised to follow after the elections. Whether full or truncated, it is unclear yet.

THE CHANGE

So what has changed before and after June 24? Nothing except some good optics: a smiling picture of prominent Jammu and Kashmir politicians with the Prime Minister and Home Minister. This could be called something since almost all the Kashmiri leaders who participated in the meeting had been detained following the withdrawal of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. So, the meeting had a certain value in itself: it signalled a sort of outreach, re-engagement and reconciliation. This should come in handy to Delhi, which is believed to have been under some international pressure to engage with Kashmiri parties.