Fearless renewal in Kashmir
In its first elections in a decade, the disputed region between India and Pakistan rejects violence to restore democracy.
Supporters of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference party celebrate early leads in the Oct. 8 election for a local government in India-controlled Kashmir, Srinagar.
AP
A survey of 24 democracies last year found 1 in 3 people would support a less liberal alternative to democracy. Yet that finding by Pew Research Center came with a caveat: Fewer than 1% of respondents advocated replacing their current system of government with a more authoritarian one. Most people wanted democracy to function better.
That desire helps explain the outcome of recent elections in what is called one of the most militarized places in the world. In the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir – claimed by both India and Pakistan since those nations’ independence from Britain in 1947 – the mainly Muslim voters were given a chance to cast ballots for the first time in a decade in a contest for the region’s legislative assembly.
Turnout reached 63%. And voters stood in lines for hours despite the overwhelming presence of soldiers reminding them of an increasingly repressive control by India. Since the late 1980s, pro-independence groups disrupted past elections with boycotts. Yet this time, even some militants chose ballots over bullets. Ten even ran as candidates. Local commentators saw in that a strong affirmation of local aspirations to achieve self-rule through peaceful, democratic means.
The region was stripped of its constitutional status as semiautonomous five years ago by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since then, residents have faced arbitrary arrests, new restrictions on free speech and public assembly, and interruptions of cellphone service and internet access.
Earlier this year, voters across India dealt Mr. Modi a humbling verdict when they cut the size of his majority in Parliament. That vote marked an unexpected rejection of his Hindu-based nationalist agenda. In Jammu and Kashmir, the election followed a ruling last December by the Supreme Court requiring the government to allow elections there after repeated delays.
More democratic openings followed. The campaign in Jammu and Kashmir marked a respite from repression. Local politicians campaigned freely. Residents held open rallies and spirited public debates for the first time in years.
Mr. Modi congratulated the local opponent of his party for securing a majority coalition in the newly restored legislature. In response, Omar Abdullah, who was sworn in Thursday as the region’s new chief minister, posted on the social platform X, “We look forward to a constructive relationship [of] continued development and good governance.”
Although a majority still seeks full independence, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have set a new course for resolving their grievances through peaceful means. They have shown that when fear and intimidation yield to respect and grace, trust in democracy gains ground.