Editor-in-Chief of JK News Today is an international affairs expert
JK News Today analysis
The nation is celebrating Narendra Modi’s innings so far as the country’s longest-serving elected Prime Minister- to be precise , more than 12 years in office since May 26, 2014, when he was first sworn-in .
It, indeed is an occasion for celebration, as it is not only a historic moment for the Prime Minister and the party he represents , but more so because the turn India has taken in these years to stabilize things within the country and image it has gained at the international level.
Jammu and Kashmir has found a special place in these splendid chapters of the modern history . The place, which occupied headlines for all wrong reasons , is now a transformed land of people bubbling with self-confidence , possessing a futuristic outlook to achieve something for themselves and the country. The biggest change is that J&K , for the first time has aligned itself geographically and psychologically as part of India.. It is clear departure from the past since 1947.
This has shaped a vast difference in perception and belief among the people.
This fact can be appreciated only by those who have seen how secessionism had spread and created persistent doubts in the minds of the people .These uncertainties and the embrace divisive ideologies have now been eliminated . The people know where they are , and who they are . There is absolute clarity on all issues now.
This revolutionary change in the thinking of the people in Jammu and Kashmir can be attributed to the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, and the subsequent measures against terror networks operating in almost all areas Terrorism had intruded into every household in Kashmir; many saw their children die and buried in graveyards , while others were left to mourn immense losses in all sectors from education to careers and businesses . Schools were burnt, and stone -throwing became a phenomenon that created fears of moving on streets and roads .
There was a chokehold from which there appeared no way out until the abrogation of Article 370 , and anti-terrorism operations intensified unshackled by any direct or indirect political interference .
Jammu and Kashmir of today was beyond imagination at anytime before it entered into an era of development and emotional connect with the national mainstream under the Modi government .
Normally, we talk of violence , terrorism, extremism, exodus of minorities and high scale suicide, fidayeen and devastating attacks in 1990s and in the first two decades of the 21st century . It is a comparison drawn on the basis of high-days of terrorism and the normalcy that exists today. That has its own validity. There, however, is something that had accumulated over the decades that was undone by Home Minister Amit Shah in August 2019, as part of Modi government’s pledge to make J&K as the model stat in the country . PM Modi had held out this promise on December 8, 2014 at Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket stadium ,Srinagar . It was his first-ever public rally in the Valley after becoming Prime Minister.
There are countless measures that the Modi government took before and after the abrogation of Article 370, but if we undertake a fair study of the past two years after he was sworn-in consecutively for third time on June 9, 2024 , it would make it clear that J&K is marching ahead at a speed that is not only leaving past behind but also getting connected to the vision of future . It has got tunnels, roads, highways , but most important was all-weather train connectivity of the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country through Vande Bharat . This has changed the whole concept in Kashmir about the country . They have started loving journeys and the country like never before . This is ode to PM Modi’s vison.
