As usual, Shekar Gupta, editor in chief of The Indian Express, manages to hit the nail right on its head. In his own inimitable style, he tells you of what's right with Indian democracy and why the elections in Kashmir matter.

Read on. http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=11092

(Alternatively,.......)

Congratulations, Delhi; Thank You, Srinagar
by Shekhar Gupta

To fathom the impact and meaning of the Jammu and Kashmir verdict as also the ‘‘guided’’ election in Pakistan today you have to begin by unravelling the mystique of that very cute monster called democracy.

The one common thing between our government’s promise of a free and fair election in J&K and Musharraf’s first milestone in his own ‘‘roadmap to democracy’’ was that both chose the instrument of democracy to get out of an impossible-looking situation.

Both had a crisis of credibility as well as legitimacy. We were finding it difficult to convince the world, in general, and the people of Kashmir, in particular, that our democracy had given them the best deal possible. Musharraf knew his rule would be morally untenable without an election, no matter how total and how cynically blind his international support.

This is where similarities end. It is one thing for a functioning, instinctive and committed democracy to choose the instrument of an election to restore the legitimacy of its national interest even in a situation as complex as Kashmir.

It is quite another for a military usurper to use elections to quieten his own people and save his foreign backers embarrassment but with no intention at all to submit to the majesty of his own people’s will.

The essential difference is, that while India persisted with a free and fair election knowing fully well that it would not return the favourites and loyalists to power, Musharraf has taken no such risks by already disqualifying almost everybody he dislikes, or fears. This is why our election has achieved its purpose and the other won’t.

Democracy is a cute monster because once you unleash it, in any way, you have no real way of determining or controlling the shape or direction it might take. India knows this monster better and can therefore trust it to help break the circle of distrust and violence between its constitutional core and the people of Kashmir. That is why it could take the risk of an election despite such violent sabotage and the risk that the winners may not even be entirely in line with its own thinking in the larger issue.

This is exactly why Musharraf could not even trust his own people. What if they elected his rivals, which actually means almost anybody who matters in his political system.

As India savours one of its proudest moments today, therefore, we need to wholeheartedly congratulate our government, the vision of its seniormost leaders, the bravery and commitment of our armed forces, the dogged determination of the Election Commission and its staff which didn’t let the noise in Gandhinagar distract it in Srinagar.

And the countless government employees who came in from distant places to conduct such a remarkable election in a dangerous land. We must also congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir who defied both terrorist bullet and cynicism born of so many unkept promises and rigged elections of the past, to give their countrymen such a marvellous gift just when the festive season begins.

That’s why we must resolve to keep the promises and commitments of today that gave them the faith to bring about such a turnaround. Let’s also, meanwhile, watch the fun across the border. The General may, after all, discover that democracy, howsoever limited or controlled, is still rather less likely to follow his commands than a battalion of soldiers.