New Dehli, September 21, 2021: The Indian English language daily The Indian Express in its editorial has said that a new order issued by the IIOJK administration on the conduct of government employees will lead to further alienation in Jammu and Kashmir. The editorial said. the new order by the administration on the conduct of government employees will likely produce more governance paralysis and lead to further alienation in the territory. The editorial titled ‘State of Suspicion’ said that it was hard to fathom the reasoning behind this egregious order, which comes on the heels of others indicating a toughening stance against Kashmiris in government employment. It added that the alienation in the Valley is no secret. That is why young boys are still running away from home to join militant groups, the editorial said and added that the order is a tacit acknowledgement of this widespread disaffection.
The News paper further says, “The order arms senior civil servants with vast and arbitrary powers to hold back promotions on the basis of suspicion and doubt, and shifts the burden of proving innocence on the accused. In the security saturated Valley, an order such as this goes against even the minimal definition of good governance, let alone serve grandiose titles such as Naya Kashmir”.
The Indian Express goes on to say, “What it [the order] will likely produce is more governance paralysis — from the cubicles in the Srinagar secretariat to the government offices in every block, tehsil and village…..”, adding, “Only the naive, tone deaf or the uncaring would mistake the outward absence of anger and resentment as a sign of normalcy”.
The Indian daily maintains, the order is telling evidence that more than two years after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the much hailed “integration” is nowhere in sight, and, indeed, if the contents of the order are anything to go by, its long-term consequences are likely to be the very opposite. It says, “Effectively, the order places on record every doubt, suspicion and all other elements of profiling that the Indian state harbours against the Kashmiri people”.