Click to play videoNew Delhi: Jammu was ridden with tension on Tuesday though Kashmir was peaceful, after a three-day relaxation of protests called by the Hurriyat. But with stronger calls for an independent Kashmir, and political parties blaming each other for the violence, it's a deceptive calm in the Valley.
Political parties in the state are persistently blaming each other for the violence and continued protests.
"There have been debates and disputes about who has the right to represent the Kashmiri people, but I think, today, the people have represented themselves. India needs azadi (freedom) from Kashmir as much as Kashmir needs azadi from India," Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy said on Tuesday.
A day after she advocated independence for Kashmir, the BJP has reacted strongly, urging writers to exercise restraint while expressing their opinions.
Arun Jaitley stated, "Countries are not run by writers who can write in the flow of the movement. Those who have no stake in running the system are free to express their views in a democratic society. But certainly their views are not going to be acceptable to a large part of India."
But the idea of azadi is finding space in the voices of mainstream political parties in the Valley.
The PDP - till recently an ally of the Congress - in its attempt to reach out to the separatists is terming it unfair to blame the Kashmiris for the Amarnath protests. In fact, the party blames the mainstream political parties for the turn of events in the state.
PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti said, "The reconciliatory process started by Atal Behari Vajpayee continued till 2005, but suddenly after the transfer of power everything came to a standstill. You pushed the people of Kashmir to a wall with this economic blockade by BJP. You have totally alienated the people of Kashmir."
On the other hand, the Congress says the PDP is indulging in doublespeak, further complicating the situation in the Valley.
Congress Spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Whatever Mehbooba ji is saying, they never did when it was their turn. Now since they are not in power they are blaming others. Thsi is being opportunist."
As calls for azadi get endorsement from liberal writers like Arundhati Roy, the tension in Jammu and Kashmir continues to mount. Though the Valley saw peace on Tuesday after weeks of protests, the calm could well be deceptive.
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