By Farooq Wani
In a couple of days now, both India and Pakistan will be observing their 78th Independence Day, with Pakistan observing it on August 14 and India a day later. Since the Kashmir issue is the product of partition and as a part of it is under illegal occupation of Pakistan since 1948, it’s a good time to take a look at how J&K and Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) have fared.
Pakistan refers to the area of J&K under its control as ‘Azad’ [free/independent] Kashmir and boasts about its citizens being happy, content and prosperous, but unfortunately, its rhetoric isn’t substantiated by ground realities. On the contrary, even a cursory look at the comparative socio-economic development indices on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) that divides J&K and PoJK clearly indicates the unmistakably stark and huge difference.
Since it’s an integral part of India, New Delhi has consistently been taking great interest in improving the quality of life of those living in J&K. This approach gained an unprecedented boost in the last decade (2014-2024) during which the center has instituted a host of people-friendly initiatives in the field of tourism, comprehensive programmes to empower locals and infrastructural development activities. All this is reflected in the budget proposals for 2024-25.
An allocation of Rs.42, 277.74 crores is proposed for J&K, which is 1.2 percent more than what was allocated in Fiscal 2023-24. The central government assistance is aimed at covering the existing gaps in terms of resources and the budget proposals include a grant of Rs.279 crores as contribution towards the UT Disaster Response Fund to meet expenditures arising out of natural calamities and Rs.500 crores to meet expenditures of the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP)
Furthermore, Rs.130 crores has been proposed as equity contribution for the 624 MW Kiru Hydro Electric Project, Rs.476.44 crores for the 800 MW Ratle Hydro Electric Project and Rs.171.23 crores for the 540 MW KWR Hydro Electric Project. A sum of Rs.101.77 crores being earmarked as capital expenditure allocation for resource-gap funding for infrastructure projects clearly indicates the high degree of emphasis being accorded for ensuring uninterrupted progress of development activities.
An allocation of Rs.9789.42 crores for J&K Police signifies the importance accorded to protection of locals as well as the firm determination to neutralise the dark shadow of terrorism and militancy.
In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stones and inaugurated 84 developmental projects worth over Rs.3300 crores in Srinagar with the aim of empowering J&K’s youth and transforming J&K. This is evident from the fact that over Rs.1500 crores worth of investment was announced for development projects in the road, water and higher education sectors.
A Jammu-Kashmir Competitiveness Improvement in Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project (JKCIP) worth Rs.1800 crores was also inaugurated and 2000 youth were given government jobs. Under the JKCIP, agricultural development is expected to take place in 90 blocks spread across 20 districts, positively impacting at least three lakh households which would be benefitting around 15 lakh people.
During February, while in Jammu, the Prime Minister announced development initiatives worth over Rs.32000 crores that spanned the education, railways and aviation, and road sectors. The campus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Jammu was also inaugurated. Foundation stones of projects worth Rs.13, 375 crores, were also laid in the higher education sector. This includes permanent campuses for three Indian Institutes of Technology, 20 Kendriya Vidyalaya and 13 Navodaya schools.
The inauguration of railway and road projects, laying the foundation stones for them and a 40,000 square meter state-of-the-art airport terminal proves this intent to dynamically, developmentally and economically transform J&K. The inauguration of a new railway line from Banihal to Sangaldan via Khari and Sumber and the electrification of the nearly 186 km long Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan railway track has to be seen as progress beyond measure.
Road connectivity has taken a giant leap forward with the construction of the 44.22 kilometer-long Jammu to Katra stretch that now forms a part of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway. The conversion of the Srinagar Ring Road into a four-lane project and activating plans to improve the Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri stretch of National Highway-01, the Kulgam and Pulwama bypasses on National Highway-444 are aimed at strengthening the region’s road infrastructure and connectivity to other parts of the country further.
This commitment towards upgrading key socio-economic infrastructure and intent to strengthen outreach and connectivity with local citizens is both missionary and visionary as it follows a bottom up approach to ensure progress.
PoJK, on the other hand, projects a different picture and that too, a very dismal one. The region has a total area of approximately 13,297 square miles (34,639 square kilometres) and is home to an estimated population of 4.6 million people. Development-wise, PoJK is in a budget deficient mode, deteriorated, desolate and neglected. If India’s J&K has experienced strong economic expansion through increased resource allocation, PoJK by contrast, has suffered severe economic losses and relies heavily on receiving remittances from abroad.
PoJK essentially survives on subsidies, which is why in contrast to Kashmiris in India experiencing a new dawn, their brethren in PoK have taken to the streets over the last few months to express their deep dissatisfaction over mismanagement of the area by the Islamabad based Pakistan government It’s a pity that on the eve of Independence, PoK residents continue to survive on doles with no hope for an end to their decades of socio-economic hardship in sight. It is a scenario of “unbridgeable proportions”, as one report claims.
J&K with four airports as against only two in PoJK has twelve times more air traffic. While the inflation rate in J&K is pegged at eight percent (last fiscal), in PoJK it is a whopping 37 percent! India has hosted a G20 tourism summit in Srinagar, while PoJK can’t even think or dream about holding an international conference due to fears of local protests. India has organised a Formula 4 race near the Dal Lake in Srinagar. Can PoJK capital Muzaffarabad even think of doing so?
Educational and medical facilities in PoJK are pathetic. While J&K has 35 universities, PoK has only six. As far as hospitals are concerned the story is the same- PoJK has only 23 hospitals as against 2812 hospitals in J&K. However, even with such a humongous lack of basic facilities, Islamabad wants the world to believe that residents of PoJK are happy and content!
While the Pakistan army has converted PoJK as a cross-border terrorism promoting hub, J&K presents an image of development, peace and economic stability. Freedom of speech in PoJK is severely curtailed; the government controls the media and there’s a blackout on reporting of human rights violations by the armed forces and terrorists.
In the absence of socio-economic development and denial of human rights to its people, PoJK will continue to experience public unrest. Differences over ethnicity along with socio-economic depravity are challenges further aggravate the problem and it’s not at all surprising that since August 2023, people of PoJK have been protesting against exorbitant electricity charges and a shortages of essential foods like flour, which is further contributing to this region’s crippling economic downturn.
By its admission before Islamabad High Court that POJK is a foreign territory over which it has no jurisdiction, the Government of Pakistan has unwittingly exposed its step-motherly treatment towards this region which is under its illegal control. PoJK residents would surely have taken notice of Islamabad’s duplicity and as this will only further increase their alienation and further multiply their anti-Pakistan feelings.
(The author is Editor Brighter Kashmir, Author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist.)
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