NEW DELHI: Though Article 370 was intended to “protect” Jammu and Kashmir ’s separate identity, the three regions in the state got along poorly and the decision to grant Ladakh Union Territory status is a big gift to the Buddhist region which has long chaffed over its isolation and lack of political voice.

Ladakh’s case was almost never part of the J&K narrative despite the vast expanse of the region and concerns over its Buddhist population over changes in demographics as the Muslim population of Kargil grew. A constituency seen as the one Lok Sabha seat that would elect a Buddhist, it became vulnerable to National Conference and PDP candidates.

People of Ladakh, disadvantaged by the remoteness of the region, also had to deal with the indifference of officials, many from the Valley or Jammu who had little interest in being posted in the region. These officials often saw their tenures as punishment postings and yearned to return to their homes.

People in Ladakh and Jammu felt resentful about what they felt was the disdainful attitude of regimes in Srinagar headed by PDP and NC and saw these governments as impositions. The prevailing sentiment was that their needs were often subsumed by the political imperative to cater to the Valley in view of the need for a chief minister from the Muslim-majority area.

The Valley-Jammu cleavage has only sharpened since the exodus of Hindus from the Valley in the face of rising extremism and violence unleashed by separatists who later embraced more Islamist causes. The pre-occupation of Kashmiri leaders with their Valley-centric politics and their higher profile with Delhi did not help much either. Misunderstandings and alienation grew on both sides.

The polarisation became clearer as BJP gained strength with the party registering a near sweep in the previous assembly elections. The arithmetic led to an ill-fated PDP-BJP alliance and its ignominious end was the start of events that led to the current decision to undo Article 370. It only proved that there could be no bridge between PDP’s soft separatism and BJP’s nationalist and integration plank.

