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release of a former militant returning to Valley under the state ' s rehabilitation policy.
Centre refused to take CM ' s assurance on Liaqat ' s credentials. And more so, when CM was speaking on the authority of J & K Police which has been at the forefront of fighting militancy in India for the past more than two decades. Centre, instead, chose to hand over probe to National Investigation Agency to determine the truth. Obviously, the centre ' s response has not helped Omar ' s image as the elected Chief Minister which was already reeling from his inabilhave
ity to prevail on the centre not to hang Afzal Guru.
In turn, this failure to represent and fulfil the aspirations of their people undercuts the credibility of the
mainstream leaders in the state.
More often than not they are perceived to be working at the pleasure of the centre rather than guided by
the sentiments and expectations of their constituencies. Thus while CM
Omar may express his deep reservations about the hanging of Afzal
Guru, it hardly changes centre ' s decision to pull him from the death row queue where he stood at 28 and dispatch him to gallows. Similarly,
CM ' s long running earnest demand for the revocation of AFSPA has been overruled by the defense establishment. What is more, last year the
elected government and the opposition together, couldn ' t muster cournot age to pass the resolution in the Asability sembly against the execution of
Guru.
This is not the helplessness that
comes across in the conduct of India ' s regional satraps like
Mayawatis, Yadavs, Nitishs,
Mamatas or even Patnaiks who so assertively hold on to their political turfs and aggressively respond to their constituencies.
What compounds Omar ' s problems is that despite being in power for more than four years, his government is still struggling to create a consistent political theme that could
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given it an identity. So far his Omar ' s alone. Battling his inage to deliver on the pledges to approach has been shy and furtive, and more of an open-ended, day to day nature rather than informed by a political narrative- or even some kind of a policy undertone- associated with political parties, that too of the pedigree of National Conference. True, a governance centric agenda cannot be faulted but a governance pursued for its own sake renders the entire enterprise of government sterile and by and by leads to a disconnect with the people. And when it is the government of National Conference, that is culpable of it, the conspicuity of it is difficult to ignore. For, Omar has a political legacy that not only lends him a certain aura but also creates a huge expectation. But here he looks like operating in a vacuum.
However, Omar ' s problem is his people and also fulfill some of their legitimate aspirations, Omar symbolically represents the weird operation of democracy in the state, where people elect leaders and leaders don ' t represent them or have to competitively contend with New
Delhi and the security behemoth in the state for a share in power.
However, this bizarre operation of the democracy in the state is not only with reference to the mainstream politicians of the state. The reality has rubbed off on the people too who while they do vote for the
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successive governments, they expe- rience a little sense of connection with the governance or stakes in the system. The feeling that New Delhi is a foreign place lingers in the state even more than six decades after ac- cession. In fact, the sense of alienation is deepest now. What continues to reign supreme is the discourse of conflict. In the collective conscious- ness of the Valley everything has to wait pending the final settlement of the state. And over the years this has bred a mindset that sees a deeper engagement with the problems of day to day as detrimental to the pursuit of the larger political cause of Azadi.
Hence development, environment, administrative accountability cannot be issues beyond a point.
What is more, the poor governance neither becomes an issue nor pro- vokes any protest even though it might indirectly stoke popular un- rest which soon morphs into Azadi campaign. The result has been the growth of a policy that has found in this mindset an escape from ac- countability. No government feels itself obliged to perform. And corruption which is so rife gets little attention beyond a lip service.
If people have to really have a sense of stake in the system, they need to see the governments they elect not only strong and able to de- liver but also accountable for their wrongs and inefficiency. But, at pres- ent, both these elements are missing from Kashmir ' s democracy.
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