THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 05 August 2020 (Next, in the Valley)

Next, in the Valley

Mains Paper 2: Governance
Prelims level:Article 370
Mains level: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability

Context:

A year after the BJP-led NDA government made Article 370 redundant, withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into two Union territories, the fait accompli has seeped in.
The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmirmay become a state again, but there will be no turning back the clock on Article 370.
For the BJP, it was the fulfilment of a long-standing ideological promise to “integrate” the Muslim-majority state with the rest of the country.
By all accounts, the move has been met with acquiescence, if not support, across the country — no national political party has prominently protested the Centre’s move, nor any regional parties outside Jammu and Kashmir.
In the past year, there has been no visible outpouring of protest in Jammu and Kashmir, no major militant strikes.

Seven-decade-old problem:

That does not mean, of course, that the seven-decade-old problem has been resolved or that the people have accepted the changes imposed on them.
The reality is, they have not yet been allowed to express themselves through institutions of representation or governance.
Indeed, what began as a departure from democratic norm — the NDA government decided on the state’s future by cutting out the people, their political leaders and even the BJP’s own allies.
It has played out over the year in the imprisonment of political leaders and hundreds of others, effectively erasing the degrees of difference between the mainstream and separatists and those in between.
Curbs on the press, routinely calling journalists to the police station, deepen the distrust.

Way ahead:

It should be clear to it that the continuing political vacuum in the Valley can only cause damage. There is a limit to how much, or how long, panchayats from a flawed election can be propped up in place of an elected Assembly.
Though the Election Commission took exception to his comments, Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu was right in saying that elections could follow the completion of delimitation.
The government must expedite the restoration of political processes in Jammu and Kashmir.
It must release Mehbooba Mufti and others who are still in detention. It must restore all freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, including the right to free speech, which in this day and age, includes access to the Internet.
Most importantly, it must set the stage for the people to elect their representatives.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)The principle of “one country, two systems”, is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of:
(a) China and Hong Kong
(b) Israel and Palestine
(c) North and South Yemen
(d) Armenia and Azerbaijan