OPINION: Happy Days Are Back In Kashmir

One of the biggest success story of the Modi regime has been restoration of peace in Kashmir valley, following abrogation of Articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution in August 2019. The life in the strife-ridden valley is near normal now - something unthinkable not long back.

Earlier, even Army convoys were stoned by mobs, shouting pro-Pakistan slogans, and now the valley is bursting at seams with tourists and film-makers swarming the Union territory in search of exotic locations for shooting. It's understandable that New Delhi would want to showcase this incredible transformation to the world, and something India-haters would obviously resent.

India has decided to hold G20 Tourism Group meeting in Srinagar on May 22-24. While the move has been welcomed by the locals, it's no surprise that professional India-baiters are whining. The UN Special Rapporteur (SR) on Minority issues Fernand de Varennes tweeted: "Holding a G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir while massive human rights violations are ongoing is leading support to attempts by India to normalise the brutal & repressive denial of democratic & other rights of Kashmiri Muslims and minorities." SRs are independent expert appointed by the United Nations for monitoring human rights.

India has strongly rejected the statement issued by the SR and said that as G20 President, it's India's prerogative to host its meetings in any part of the country. The Indian mission said in a statement on Twitter, "We are aghast that @fernanddev has acted irresponsibly to politicise this issue, misused his position as SR to publicise on social media his presumptive and prejudiced conclusions in a gross violation of the Code of Conduct for SRs."

India has dismissed objections from Pakistan over the holding of G20 meetings in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, saying such events are being organised in all the States and Union territories ahead of the summit in New Delhi in September. In fact, Pakistan's objections are meaningless, in view of the fact that Pakistan is not a member of the G20.

China, which skipped a G20 meeting held in Arunachal Pradesh in March, and Turkey will not attend the meet in Srinagar. China's decision is apparently linked to objections by its close ally Pakistan while Turkey has criticised India's handling of the situation in Kashmir in past years.

The meeting is being billed as one of the largest international events to be organised in Kashmir in the aftermath of the abrogation of the Articles. Over 100 delegates of the G20 and guest countries are expected at the mega event. Tight security arrangements have been put in place around the venue, Sher-e-Kashmir International Conventional Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal Lake.

Srinagar has been spruced up for the event and the administration has been on a major renovation drive in the run up to the event. Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Commissioner Athar Amin Khan told the media that all projects under the smart city project have been completed or are on the verge of completion. The airport road and flyover have been spruced up and the city has been illuminated.

While the main summit is in Srinagar, the national and international delegates are scheduled to visit the picturesque bowl-shaped Gulmarg, which loosely translates to "meadow of flowers", surrounded by pine trees and steep slopes in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, some 50 km from Srinagar.

Much to the chagrin of Pakistan and China, most of the international community already appears to believe that Kashmir is no longer a conflict or a dispute. Most of the world has set aside any concerns about Kashmir in order to ensure good relations with New Delhi, which much of the international community regards as a key trade and investment partner. Even most Muslim-majority countries have stayed quiet on the Kashmir issue.

In the last four years, the Union territory has undergone a complete transformation. It has witnessed economic growth of 14.64 per cent and tax revenue was up by 31 per cent, as 1.88 crore tourists visited the Union territory last year. People are enjoying Sikara rides till late night. Cinemas are running smoothly after a gap of three decades. Night bus services have started in Kashmir. Schools and colleges and universities are running smoothly. Shops remain open as usual.

Moreover, investment proposals worth Rs 70,000 crore have been received by the UT administration for industrial development. It received the highest ever investment of Rs 1,547.87 crore during the last 10 months while as many as 500 startups have come up during the last three years in Jammu & Kashmir.

Apart from the unprecedented tourist arrivals, the newly created UT is buzzing with a lot of activities in the field of creative arts too. At one time, the valley was a favourite haunt of Bollywood producers. As the fundamentalist Islam seized Kashmir, it turned into a cultural desert. Cinema houses were forced shut and film crews stopped coming, fearing for their lives.

Now things are changing. With the end of terrorism, a sense of optimism and security prevails in the valley. The UT administration too has tweaked its policies to lure film producers, who are now coming in droves to take advantage of fresh incentive schemes. The new Film Policy launched by the UT administration in 2021, along with single-window clearance and subsidies, also entails "appropriate security arrangements to be made free of cost to enable film-makers to complete shooting."

According to official soruces, 350 of 500 requests for permission to shoot films in the valley have already been ranted now. That besides the location permission committee, headed by respective Divisional Commissioners, and the script screening committee, which looks into the film scripts for sensitive or anti-national content before giving the nod. In fact, there are incentives connected to the themes of films and series.

The 2021 Film Policy, which sets the vision till 2026, also aims to uplift the local film sector. A film-maker giving work to local artists will get additional subsidy of up to Rs 50 lakh in case over 50 per cent of shoot days have been spent in Kashmir. Local Kashmiri actors are being taken as main leads, something that has not happened before. In fact, most actors in Onir's 'Chahiye Thoda Pyaar' are Kashmiris.

Films produced to inspire the feeling of 'One Nation, Best Nation' shall be given 50 per cent of their cost or Rs 50 lakh, whichever is less, as subsidy, while those related to child and women empowerment will receive additional aid of 25 per cent.

Just last month, actor Shah Rukh Khan had landed in the valley for Rajkumar Hirani's 'Dunki', in which he plays an Army officer. A song for the film was shot in Sonmarg and the crew did a recce in the neighbouring Thaji glacier. Earlier this year, film-maker Karan Johar had arrived at the Gulmarg Ski Resort with the crew of 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani' including the lead actors Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt.

Nearly 350 film crews have been permitted to shoot in Jammu & Kashmir over the last two years, a record number in the past four decades. Besides mainstream Hindi films, movies and series in Punjabi, Urdu, Telugu, Kannada and a series for History TV18 titled 'OMG! Yeh Mera India' have also been shot in Kashmir.

However, the story of Kashmir would be incomplete, till the Pandits, flag-carriers of its original catholic and plural culture, don't feel safe and confident to return back to their homes, settle and start their lives afresh. No doubt the Valley has travelled a great deal, from chaos to peace, but still it has a long way to go.

(Mr. Balbir Punj is a Former Member of Parliament and a Columnist. He can be reached at: [email protected])

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.