A pause in Indian military operations in IHK?

There is little or no doubt about the fact that Kashmir is now slipping out of India's hand. A bigger picture that has emerged from this part of South Asia for the entire world clearly shows that as India clamps down on the occupied territory with the proverbial "iron grip", it risks losing it. There seems to be a strong realization in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government that its "Operation All Out" has miserably failed; it has in fact emboldened the Kashmiris to raise their voice for self-determination with a new vigor instead of beating them into outright subjugation. This massive military operation has, in other words, led to creating a situation that shows, among other things, that more Kashmiris are now gravitating towards their Kashmir cause than before. That is why New Delhi has decided to suspend military operations against freedom fighters and others in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir in a rare "gesture" for the holy month of Ramazan. But the question is: Is it generosity or prudence on the part of Narendra Modi's India? The answer is quite simple: to be generous requires prudence, because without prudence it is unlikely New Delhi will have any political ammunition available with which to be generous. How ironic however it is that 'strange bedfellows' in IOK, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) of Mahbooba Mufti and the BJP continue to provide warmth or comfort to each other in order to remain in power through a Mufti-led coalition government amid unprecedentedly high incidence of violence in the occupied state.
The nearly 30-day suspension of military operations is said to be the first of its kind in IOK for nearly two decades, and follows an escalation of violence in recent months in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region where half a million Indian troops are on a rampage, killing and maiming a large number of men and women on a daily basis. Although Home Minister Rajnath Singh has claimed that the suspension is to allow a peaceful month of fasting, it is quite likely that it will be business as usual for bloodthirsty Indian troops as, according to some Indian officials, troops will stop the pursuit of militants and door-to-door house searches "but they will still retaliate if attacked". That the Indian government is not sincere towards obtaining peace in IOK is a fact: Rajnath Singh is still reluctant to make a direct call to freedom fighters to suspend militant activities, although he has sought cooperation of "everyone" in the initiative. The move is nothing but a BJP attempt to placate the Islamic world in general and the Indian Muslims in particular in Islam's holy month with a "rare gesture". Violence that the Narendra Modi government has unleashed in IOK has earned it the rebuke from opposition parties that have been demanding the BJP government revisit its policy towards this disputed region, lest the country loses it through a legitimate and vibrant freedom movement that is now increasingly characterized by stone-pelting incidents. The self-assured hubris among the members of Sangh Parivar has been shaken by these protesters who include even school- and college-going girl students. It is about time New Delhi restart the stalled peace process with a view to seeking a resolution of this festering issue. New Delhi's 'rare gesture' ploy won't work.