There are some tropes that refuse to die. In Jammu and Kashmir, it has to be stone pelters, marauding security men and an ineffective government. The package makes for good copy and adds to human rights “literature”. The trouble is that, now and then, there is a quiet summer in the valley. That fuels unrest in Islamabad and among rights activists, in equal measure.
On Monday, chief minister Omar Abdullah decried political tourism. Recently, one such tourist, Gautam Navlakha, was denied entry into the state. The activist community is up in arms.
Kashmir needs peace and economic rebuilding, so that those living there can move on with their lives. Unless this is done, there will be no stakes for anyone to invest in peace. This process is never given a chance: it is halted whenever it restarts. In the meantime, activists should be kept away and fed ice cream. There are plenty of flavours in New Delhi.
