Chief Minis ter Farouk Abdullah's move for full autonomy to the strife-torn insurgency-infested Jammu

and Kashmir state has raised much hullabaloo in Kashmir

not only among divergent politicos and political groups and parties, but also in media and among common people tn India. Farouk Abdullah with over two-thirds majority of his National Conference successfully in the State legislature passed the greater autonomy for J&K in June this year providing for centre’s control over only three subjects -finance (currency’), defence and foreign affairs. Over rest of the matters the state government of J&K will have absolute authority. The state will have Its own Judiciary, own election commissioner and the Chief Minister is to be addressed was the Dzir-e- Azam (Prime Minister). The state chapters of both the BJP and the Congress sharply reacted against the move saying the resolution is fraught with the danger of eventual secession from the Federal Structure of India. Farouk Abduallah’s National Conference is BJPs coalition partner at the centre. Even then BJP members in the state legislature took a strong

stand against the proposed autonomy for J&K boycotting the session in which the autonomy resolution was unanimously approved. In Ladakh area the Buddhists in the largely Muslim-majority state. In fact now the only Muslim-majority stale in India, observed shutdowns in protest against the autonomy. The BJP and the Congress both supported the aggrieved Buddhists in Ladakh.

When the resolution was adopted Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was touring Lisbon and Italy. On his return he extended his firm support to Farouk Abdullah saying that the autonomy resolution in the Kashmir state assembly Is not in any way against the spirit of India's constitution. He said his cabinet will discuss the issue first and then it will be placed before Loksabha Meanwhile Vajpayee, who thought that th* Issue will settle down after what he said on his return home from foreign trip, had to meet the top leaders of BJP and failed to convince them. Abdullah maintains that the autonomy gas been proposed in the light of history - the conditionalities that were agreed upon when the King of the State Hari Singh acceded his Kingdom with India about fifty years ago. He said the time has now come to revive the past history. When the State Assembly passed the resolution a constitutional expert

opined that the central government has no obligation about a resolution taken oy the state assembly. But Farouk Ab-du Ila h's administration strongly maintained that the what the state assembly has resolved will not so easy to dismiss or whisk away as the ruling National Conference enjoys overwhelming majority In tlie state legislature.

Different militant Insurgent groups like who are fighting for the liberation of Kashmir dismissed the resolution saying that they would not accept any resolution within the structure of India and short of UN resolution of 1848 which provided for referendum for the people of Kashmir to decide their own future with three options - to join with India, to be a part of Pakistan or to remain Independent. They said that It would not help resolve the long-drawn Kashmir Imbroglio. Pakistan, which fought two bloody wars with India over Kashmir and a short encounter at Kargll equally rejected the autonomy proposal suggesting the only acceptable solutions lays in giving the Kashmiris their right of self determination. Pakistan has accepted the UN resolution but India is strongly opposed to it apprehending that the Muslim majority people of the state might overwhelmingly vote for Pakistan.

Analysts strongly maintain

that the autonomy In Kashmir might trigger the raising of similar demands by the states In the country's north-eastern region known as the seven sisters who are clamouring for greater rights where as many as 18 guerrilla groups are active against Delhi's central rule. Already Chief Minister Profulla Mohanta of Assam welcomed the resolution for autonomy for Kashmir. The time has now come for giving the people and the states their own rights, he said.

Hence both Farouk Abdullah and the NDA government in Delhi, particularly Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee find themselves in tight positions It did not get anybody's support neither that of Pakistan or the militant groups. Opposition Is coming from all corners. Newer issues are taking shapes In the form of new problems.

One thing has. however, become clear that Kashmir has become a deep-rooted problem and without the participation of Pakistan there cannot be any lasting solution to the Kashmir issue. Despite Vajpayee's assurance that the autonomy resolution adopted by the state assembly al the initiative of Farouk Abdullah will be duly considered, his cabinet colleague's have summarily rejected it apprehending that it might trigger other states to

make similar demands which will eventually lead to the break up of India. BJP which Is vehemently against the special status accorded to Kashmir since the Integration of the state cannot naturally accept the autonomy of the strife lorn state. It is clearly against the party’s Hindutva philosophy and Ideology. The conclusion was. therefore, foregone. L. K. Advani, the Home Minister said: "the cabinet feels that acceptance of the resolution would set the clock back." He made it clear that the central government Is not opposed to giving more power to the states but would never agree to give autonomy. Advani felt that acceptance of the resolution would set in motion certain trends which are not In favour of national unity and Integration.

This premature death of the highly ambitious autonomy move by Farouk Abdullah, albeit the fact that it was rejected by the extremist elements and Pakistan, is likely to not only strain relations between the ruling National Conference and the NDA government, but may also aggravate the volatile and murky situation in the state. The extremists in the state are likely to garner further support from the general masses whose attention Farouk Abdullah tried to divert to some extent through the subtle move of autonomy.