Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s government in Jammu and Kashmir has made hoisting of the national flag mandatory on all government offices and buildings across the Union Territory. Divisional Commissioners in both Kashmir and Jammu have accordingly directed all the concerned officers, including the Deputy Commissioners, to ensure that the LG’s instructions are implemented within a fortnight.

In Kashmir, the first circular for installing the national flag on all government offices and buildings has been issued in Anantnag—the home district of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Interestingly, Mehbooba had warned in 2019 that nobody in the valley would carry the tricolour if the BJP regime at the Centre “dared to fiddle with” Article 370.

Both the major parties in Kashmir, the PDP and the National Conference (NC), had in 2019 campaigned against abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A which granted the erstwhile State a special constitutional status.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, as passed by Parliament and other modifications made the erstwhile State’s emblem as well as the distinct State flag redundant. Farooq Abdullah’s NC has challenged all these changes in the Supreme Court.

“The Indian National Flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India. It is the symbol of our National pride. There is universal affection and respect for, and loyalty to, the National Flag. The Government of India, to bring awareness amongst the people, and also in the organizations of the government, in regard to laws, practices and conventions, that apply to the display of the National Flag, has defined a Flag Code of India, 2002”, reads the circular dated 26 March 2021 issued by the Anantnag Deputy Commissioner Dr Piyush Singla.

“In pursuance of part III of the Flag Code of India, it is impressed upon all District/Sectoral Heads/ Tehsil/Block level officers to ensure that National Flag is flown on all Government offices/buildings across the district within 15 days positively,”the circular states.

Official sources maintained that similar circulars were being issued by other DCs in Kashmir and Jammu divisions.

This is for the first time since 1947 that orders, making hoisting of the National Flag on all government offices and buildings mandatory, have been issued in Jammu and Kashmir. As of now, the tricolour can be seen only on the rooftops of the high offices like Raj Bhawan, Civil Secretariat, High Court, offices and vehicles of Governor, Chief Minister, Ministers and Advisors, High Court judges and other Constitutional offices and authorities besides the Defence and the paramilitary installations and border posts.

Some sections in civil society, which have not objected to the secessionist flags and slogans in the past, are obviously critical of the Government’s encouragement to the flag hoisting activities. They have likeminded people and sympathisers in the government who do dismiss such demonstrations as “enforced nationalism”. However other sections of the population are watching it all as mute spectators, without rejecting or accepting it all.
 

On the other hand, quite a number of officers and columnists point out that the new ‘nationalist campaign’ would not only demoralise the separatists and militants and neutralise their 30-year-old narratives but would also dissipate the overarching fear of the Pakistani gun.

“It will definitely dilute the threat perception and change the whole security scenario”, said an officer who expects the National Anthem to be declared as the morning assembly prayer for all schools in J&K. "Just imagine when you have psychological dominance with a tricolour on all panchayat ghars and schools in every village," he asserted.

Interestingly, now there are four Indian National Flags hoisted at PDP’s Jammu office facade and one at NC’s headquarters at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan.

Early this month, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir in Srinagar has had the National Flag hoisted at the administrative block. However, the practice is not followed at other universities in Kashmir. According to instructions of the Union Ministry of Education and a resolution adopted by the VCs in February 2016, all the 54 Central Universities across India are supposed to install the National Flag atop a 207-ft high mast. Central University of Kashmir (CUK), is the only Central University where the tricolour does not flutter.

Contrarily, since 1990, all the separatist and militant groups have been free to hoist and carry not only the ‘Azaadi’ flags but also the national flag of Pakistan. Before the Centre initiated a crackdown on such organisations in 2019, the Pakistani flag would be seen occasionally on lampposts, trees and atop high mobile communications towers. Every year on Pakistan Day on 23 March and the Pakistan Independence Day on 14 August, pro-Pakistan groups, particularly Asiya Andrabi’s Dukhtaraan-e-Millat, would hold celebrations with playing of the Pakistan national anthem and hoisting of the Pakistan national flag.

Even as such demonstrations had been effectively curbed by the Omar Abdullah government in 2011-14 period, top-ranking separatist Massarat Alam was released and permitted to hold a massive pro-Pakistan demonstration in front of the J&K Police headquarters during the initial tear if the Mufti government in April 2015. The State- permitted euphoria culminated into a four-month-long street turbulence in which around a hundred civilians got killed and thousands injured after the militant Burhan Wani’s killing in an encounter in 2016.

The black colour al-Qaeda and ISIS flags too were installed and displayed at many congregations in Kashmir in 2015-19.

Now all such demonstrations have stopped. At several places in Srinagar, Kupwara and Anantnag districts—and on one occasion in Shopian— the newly elected Panchayat, Block Development Council, District Development Council and Urban Local Body members, as also the BJP workers have carried or hoisted the National Flag in the last two years.