The Vale has seen it time and again |
It was a moment of reawakening to the new realities and requirements in Kashmir last week. It has come out of a potential crisis that could have undone some of the great achievements of the place in the last few years. Kashmir’s leadership, in their own way, stood by the people when they cried over the unfortunate developments in Iran, including the killing of its spiritual and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and at the same time became the torch bearers for keeping the light of peace on.
This was a herculean task, given the situation was threatening to take turn amidst emotional surge which had underlying political and diplomatic undertones . Kashmir had reasons to give vent to its anger and grief over the way America and Israel tried to pulverize Iran. In Kashmir grief doesn’t stay within the parameters of condolences , it has the tendency to turn into deep-seated political grievances . Kashmir is a difficult zone where conflict traverses in multiple ways.
First, Kashmir leadership of various flags, condemned the turn of events in Iran, engineered by American-Israel strikes incomplete solidarity with the nation with which it shared historic, cultural and religious ties. This expression of grief and anger was as loud as it could be, showcasing their personal sentiments in tune with the collective outpour of grief in streets.
A deeper look into it makes it evident that the leaders stood with their people. They did not want any gaps to emerge at such a crucial juncture where any chasm between the leadership and people could have deepened the crisis of confidence. It is different to air the grievances over non-fulfilment of election time promises and march in grief and anger in the streets. The past one week demonstrated that the internal and external dimensions of incidents can create a highly-explosive situation. The Vale has seen it time and again.
All eyes were on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. That had to be the case, as the primary responsibility of navigating the difficult situation and maintaining peace lay with him. It was not some gruesome incident within the Vale for which there is a different set up of government dealing with the issue. It was not Pahalgam, where the division of responsibilities was quite obvious. Kashmir had to pay a heavy price for what terrorists did in Baisaran in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. Only Kashmir knows how much it suffered. For them the tourists were not just holiday-makers, but also part of their own blood and flesh. Omar had a task to perform as the clouds of impending crisis hovered over the Vale. He supported the right of the people hurt by Iranian developments, to give vent to their grief, but also cautioned that law and order agencies should not intercept the march of grief. And when some among the mourning crowds tried to do what they shouldn’t have done, he made it clear that such acts would not go well with the situation.
He drew a redline for both the protestors and law and order agencies as he declared that no innocent blood spilling and no injury to anyone anywhere in Kashmir. This redline has both a context and backdrop, especially what happened in the Valley following the unfortunate developments in Middle East.
After having an interaction with Kashmir’s civil society and religious leaders on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, Omar used a note of caution for the people of Kashmir, urging them to adhere to peaceful expression of grief and not to enter into a terrain which may cause troubles. This was both an appeal and warning to those who have been taking advantage of the massive grief in Shia community to disturb peace and normalcy in the valley knowing it fully well that it could result in serious consequences.
There were worries and still are about the Kashmiri students trapped in a highly volatile situation in Iran. These concerns are genuine. Parents of these students continue to press for the early return of their children. Omar, by his experience during his tenure in the Ministry of External affairs (MEA) as Minister of State during the Vajpayee government, is aware of all the procedures. As head of the elected government, he continued to stay in touch with the MEA and got most of the students shifted to safer places in the war-torn country. But, he also was concerned over plight of Kashmiris residing and working in Gulf States, and he did not mince words in saying that Iran should not have taken the war to Gulf states.
PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is known for her unconventional ways of making statements. She was fiery best in condemning attacks on the Iran, but at the same time could foresee the consequences of protests deviating from peaceful expressions. She made a special appeal to the youth and others that they should view the difficult situation in which Kashmir is today because of the impending influx of American apples in the market and the competition that Kashmir fruit will face. She wanted the revival of tourism, hence not to be hurt by violence.
That made it clear that Kashmir’s leadership which has often been decried as prompting anti-peace protests, in fact was more concerned about the calm in the Valley. They are conscious of their responsibilities .
Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party that completed six years of its existence on Sunday, March 8, did not celebrate the occasion keeping in view the situation in West Asia and its impact on Kashmir. It was sagacity of the leader and her party-men. There was only one strategy ; respect the sentiments of the people and understand the grave nature of the war in Middle-East.
There, however, was a point that the party and its leadership made quite effectively that peace in Kashmir is vital to the place and people, but it is as much critically important for the nation as Altaf Bukhari in his message on the foundation day of the party urged the Centre to initiate dialogue with the people of Kashmir, which is already overdue.
The profoundness of the message was clear when Apni party chief urged the “Central Government to initiate meaningful confidence-building measures, including dialogue with the people, and to actively engage the youth in order to bridge the trust deficit between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country.”
Kashmiri leadership, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and all others, who have representation in the Assembly or Parliament, and those who have none, are on the same page vis-a-vis peace in Kashmir. This is innate. Let these leaders be taken on board to draw a clear roadmap for the future of J&K. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have done a lot, but there is a need to do more. Kashmir’s leaders have made a point that J&K deserves more, and they have shown it the way they performed to protect and advance peace.