What is the situation on the ground in Kashmir? In the absence of free movement of Indians to the Valley, it is hard to verify the official claims of normalcy. The communication lockout imposed in the wake of the cataclysmic changes in the status of Jammu and Kashmir and its division into two separate union territories last August was lifted sometime ago, but the flow of information continues to be patchy and is often unreliable. Therefore, the decision of the Government to invite a group of Delhi-based diplomats to visit Kashmir for an on-the-spot check, as it were, ought to be welcome. Diplomats’ visit assumes significance given how the international community was sought to be inveigled by Pakistan following the last August’s into intervening in the Kashmir dispute. If, however, conditions are fast returning to normal, it should be possible for the Government to allow access to the Valley not only to foreign diplomats but everyone else keen to see the situation for himself. Also, the claim of normalcy will sound more credible if those detained last August, including former chief ministers, are freed immediately. Political process, too, should be allowed slowly to eventually pave way for a representative administration.
