The Kashmir Saga

The current map of Jammu and Kashmir

The Kashmir issue is without doubt, the most profound and chronic problem in India, ever since independence. It has been at the center of umpteen number of articles, TV debates, diplomatic talks, UN speeches as well as wars between India and Pakistan. When it comes to Kashmir, a majority of  Indians become too emotional and patriotic, and they fail to analyze the problem rationally. Most Indians have no ideas as to what is the real conflict, how was it created, what has aggravated it so much, and what is the current ground realities in the Kashmir Valley. In this blog, I have tried to touch upon each of these points.

Contrary to popular perception, Kashmir is a problem that successive Indian Governments are solely responsible for creating and nurturing. Of course the role of Pakistan and certain extremist elements in Kashmir cannot be denied; but primarily, the lack of foresight and faulty policies of the Indian state are responsible for the "monster" that we have created.

The problem starts with the stupid idea of partition. Given the social fabric of the Indian society, with a mix of different communities in almost every village, the very idea of "Partition", based on religion, was nothing better than (using Nehru's words) "A Fantastic Nonsense". There could never be a rational way in which, a partition line, could have be drawn between the two countries, that would be acceptable to both. It was finally drawn in the most ad-hoc and whimsical manner, by the departing Britishers. Yet, left with no better alternative, both parties accepted the British line of divide and there has been no dispute about it ever since. However the point to note is that, if at that time, the final line was left to talks and dialogues or UN resolutions (like Kashmir), India and Pakistan would still have been fighting over it, as certain things can never be resolved by any amount of dialogue.

Before Independence J&K was a princely state, with a Hindu king and mostly Muslim population. Other than its  unique location, between India and Pakistan, there was nothing very unique about J&K. Just like other princely states, the J&K was not like a nation. There was no real unity (cultural or otherwise) or national feeling among its people and really nothing to distinguish it from rest of the country. Actually, J&K was a place where the Muslim League had almost no influence. J&K had been the most peaceful during the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1946. There were hardly any Islamic extremist elements in Kashmir at that time.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

The Britishers had instilled hope in the various Crown princes, that after the British withdrawal, they could finally become independent. Many idiots, including Hari Singh of J&K, actually fell for it. The British tried, whole-heartedly, to support the independence claim of states like Travancore (which had much better prospect of surviving independently than J&K) and Hyderabad. But frank diplomacy backed with the option, and use of military force, by Vallabhbhai Patel brought all such states within India. None of the states were given any special rights. Later, due to the linguistic division of Indian states, their very identity was lost in history.

Why is then the J&K different from other cases, like that of Hyderabad? Both Pakistan and England had fully supported Hyderabad, just like J&K. In both cases Indian army had intervened. In both cases, the public opinion, at that time, in the state were mostly the same. Yet, 60 years later, it is almost impossible to even think about an independent Hyderabad, whereas there is a strong ongoing demand for the independence of Kashmir.

I do not claim J&K to be a part of India just because Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession (that is for stupid international talks), but because Kashmiri society was the best example of Hindu-Muslim unity and the best rejection of the very idea of Pakistan. But every since independence the Indian government has committed one blunder after another in Kashmir leading to such a sorry state of affairs today.

Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah

Nehru had a special attachment towards Kashmir Valley and a very special fondness towards Sheikh Abdulla of the National Conference. Failing to leave the matter to the more pragmatic Patel, was the first major mistake. It was India who pressured Hari Singh to release Sheikh Abdulla from prison, making him the most important political person in J&K. Yet surprisingly, Nehru could not convince Sheikh to integrate J&K with India. India should have been much more proactive in J&K before the Pakistani invasion, since India had upper hand, as Sheikh, the most popular leader in Kashmir, was definitely anti-Pakistan, though not completely pro-Indian. However India did not act, whereas Pakistan stepped on cross-border infiltration as well as created trouble in the Poonch district.

In 1948, when Pakistan  attacked J&K (disguised as tribal invasion), India did not respond until the accession papers were signed by Hari Singh, thereby giving a big decisive initial advantage to the Pakistani army. The military strength of the two countries being almost equal, at that time, and the winter of 1947, meant a halt in military operations. It was now that India made the biggest blunder in its history, a mistake which was to cost India very dearly, even after 60 years. Instead of forcing the integration of J&K into India, Nehru gave the complete power to Sheikh Abdulla's and left the question of accession still open, even though the Indian Army was welcomed in Kashmir as liberators. Instead of Sheikh Abdulla being the "Chief Minister", he became the "Prime Minister" of J&K !!

Now, under the influence of Mountbatein, Nehru made another big mistake. Instead of waiting for the end of winter and going for a final military solution, India decided to take this matter to the UN. At the UN, India was almost completely alienated on this issue, with the British backstabbing India and supporting Pakistan. Indian 'Non-Allied Movement' (though very good) did not help matters either. The grand illusion of Nehru, that the UN was a just and rational body, and not driven by short term interests of few nations, came crashing down upon him. However the damage was done. The Pakistanis had strengthened their position in the winters and though fighting continued throughout the summer of 1948, (with India winning back Kargil and Drass) full military solution could not be reached before another ceasefire.

But all was not well even in the Indian part of Kashmir. In 1950, the Indian constitution came into force and recognized J&K as part of India but it was given special privileges in the form of Article 370. This was perhaps the biggest mistake made by the Indian Government. Hence, from this point onwards, when all other princely states were fast loosing their identity, J&K was gaining a special identity and Sheikh Abdullah was becoming ever more ambitious.

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukerjee

A distinction must be made between the Kashmir Valley and the "Jammu and the Ladakh" region of J&K. Jammu being a predominantly Hindu majoriy region and Ladakh being a Buddhist region, always wanted complete accession to India. Here Sheikh Abdulla was never that popular and in 1952-53, these regions rose in revolt against the Sheikh's government encouraged by Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukerjee, of the BJP. He subsequently died in the Jammu Jail for the cause, creating huge unrest in the region. It was a clear case of gross mismanagement by the central government and the lack of effective Home Minister like Patel was clearly evident.

But the worst effect of the agitation was that Sheikh Abdulla, encouraged by the American embassy, now openly sought for independence of Kashmir. He was put behind bars by Nehru without any charge, and Bakshi Gulam Mohammad was made the CM. Such neck-jerk reaction and high-handedness was bound to get resentment from the general public in Kashmir Valley. Moreover Bakshi turned out to be thoroughly corrupt, making matters worse. Hence Article 370, coupled with the mad events of 1950s, made sure that J&K was never fully assimilated into India and always remained a thorn in the flesh.

Right from the beginning there has never been any systematic Indian policy towards Kashmir which has made matters much worse. Sheikh Abdullah was release twice, in 1958 and in 1964, only to be locked up again after a few months. During his last days Nehru desperately tried to diplomatically solve, the Kashmir issue, once for all, but his death laid to rest all such efforts for ever. Successive elections were held in Kashmir, keeping the most influential leader in jail. Moreover, elections of 1967 in J&K, were openly rigged by Indra Gandhi, leading to deep resentment. Successive corrupt governments and the aloofness of the center made, for the first time, pro-Pakistani elements a majority in the state. India was thus slowly beginning to losing ground through its own mistakes.

Lack of foresight of Nehru and the ill effects of Article 370 became more pronounced with every passing year. After partition lakhs of Sikhs went to nearby states to earn their livelihood and due to their hardworking nature, they started having a significant influence in those areas, besides boosting their economies. However Article 370 insured that there was absolutely no investment in Kashmir and no intermingling between the J&K and the rest of India. None of the good central schemes, reached Kashmir. Laws made in Delhi no longer mattered in Kashmir, hence the national feeling could never develop there. Compare that with other places like Tamil Nadu, Assam etc, where, though there were strong regional sentiments at one time, nationalism kept gaining ground over the years. Also, for the rest of India, J&K became a very emotional issue directly related to the national pride. Unfortunately, instead of loving the Kashmiri culture and people, the Kashmiri land became the most prominent issue.

India won a major victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan. However right after that it lost a major diplomatic battle with Pakistan. Instead of solving the Kashmir issue once for all, a weak Shimla Agreement was signed where Pakistan just made an informal promise (which was never kept) of converting the LOC into an International border.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

After the scathing loss of 1971, Pakistan decided to pay back India in the same way, and J&K was the ideal battleground for Pakistan. Extremism was extensively encouraged in the whole of Pakistan and especially in POK. Cross border infiltration and terrorism was gaining ground. Seikh Abdulla, meanwhile had reached a truce with the Congress and he was back as the Chief Minster in J&K. However his popularity, even in the valley had decreased considerable. He was no longer the sole voice of the valley.

A lot of local (Islamic as well as Secular but Pro-Independence) organizations came into existence. Prominent among them were - Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Muslim United Front (MUF), Awami Action Committee etc.  However the more serious trouble was the formation of militant organization like - Jaish-e-Mohammed, Ḥizbal-Mujāhidīn, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen etc. These militant organizations got a lot of help from the Pakistani Intelligence agency, ISI, and Pakistan based state terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba. The hanging of Mohammad Maqbool Bhat  (of JKFL) in 1984, (although necessary) further provoked militancy. The  government of the day also played its part in the mess by constantly rigging every elections (like the elections of 1987) to ensure that extremists could never get elected in the J&K assembly. This led to the rise of an armed insurgency movement composed, in part, of those who unfairly lost elections.

The 1990's (1989 onwards) was the darkest period in J&K. Ever since the fall of USSR, the 'Mujahideen' of Afghanistan, were diverted to Kashmir by Pakistan. Cross-border insurgency came to an all time high. Continuous anti-India protests provoked lath-charge and even firing, which in turn, added more fuel to the fire. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference was formed as a grand alliance of various anti-India parties in Kashmir and they remain till date the strongest group, outside the mainstream.

Refugee tent colonies as a result of Kashmiri Pandits
exodus from the valley

Eventually the army had to be called, to douse the situation. However in a rogue incident many unarmed protesters too got killed. This resulted in a wave of revenge killings, especially against the Kashmiri Pandits. Most of the estimated 162,500 Hindus in the Valley, including the entire Kashmiri Pandit community, fled the Valley in March 1990. This was one of the worst human tragedies of independent India. The scale of ethnic cleansing in the valley was very much like that of the Jews in Hitler's Germany. The demography and the culture of J&K was changed for ever, right under the nose of the Indian State. The worst thing was that instead of a political struggle, it became a 'Jihad' to create an Islamic state in Kashmir. The very idea of Secular India now was under threat, ironically in the same place, which had once been, the model of Hindu-Muslim unity. Although foreign hand behind the 1990s turbulence in the valley cannot be denied, the fact remains, that it had a lot of popular support, and the Indian policy for the last so many years, was the major reason behind it.

Over the next decade the army brought relative peace in the valley. The border was sealed off and a lot of militants were encountered. Thousand of martyrs laid down their lives in the service of the nation. The army heavily contributed towards developmental activities in J&K, and also relief and rescue activities, in case of natural calamities. However, even after doing such a great job, with great discipline and hard work, the army failed to win over the hearts of the common Kashmiris. The feeling of alienation, increased rather than decreased. There are precise reasons for the same. The most important being ASFPA.

Along with the army presence, came the notorious ASFPA act (July 1990) in J&K. ASFPA is a draconian act which gives complete immunity to the armed force from any action, including the right to shoot on sight. Such an act was very necessary in the 1990s for the army to function smoothly. Otherwise, it was almost certain, that India would not have been able to hold on to Kashmir any longer. However, army presence is never compatible with civil administration. The major problem being that army personals can never be tried in civil courts and for any human right violations, alleged or otherwise, the general public has no avenue for redressal of his grievances. Even though there are many parts in our country, where human right violations and  atrocities committed by the police are much greater, the very presence of legal system, howsoever ineffective and slow, acts as a effective counterbalance. Acts like ASFPA, create a much greater feeling of alienation in the general public, and even normal incidents get blown out of proportion. There are loose cannons everywhere, even in army. There have been cases where, for promotion or rewards, army personal have victimized innocent citizens. At other times, some genuine human mistakes were also made. The worst part been that, even if action was taken against them, it happened in army courts, away from the public eye. Hence justice was never visible on the ground.


Since the 1990's the story till date, has been pretty much the same. There are approximately half a million Indian security forces deployed in the Kashmir Valley since the nineties. Continued violence has taken the lives of tens of thousands of civilians. The fact remains that without the army, the India state cannot exist in Kashmir, even though the insurgency has largely been controlled. A decade of ASFPA has created a very strong negative feeling on both sides. In the army, there is a distinct dislike towards the native population as they have seen scores of their fellowmen been killed by the militants, some of them Kashmiris, and others claiming to be fighting for the Kashmiris. In their view, Kashmiri are ungrateful and unworthy of their great sacrifices. On the other hand, the general Kashmiri (in the valley mostly) views the army with great fear and treat them as foreign occupying forces, having absolute power. They deeply resent their suppression of civil rights under ASFPA, the fact that they have to carry IDs all the time, the various army checkpoints spread everywhere, the high-handedness with which the army treats them, and the little hope that they have, of things ever becoming better. The fact that very few Kashmiris are actually part of the army doesn't help matters either. Adding to that, is the strong propaganda of the Hurriat Conference, and the rabble rousing of the opportunist mainstream politicians. 

Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Hurriyat Conference

In recent years Pakistan has been too preoccupied with its eastern border, and hence cross-border terrorism is at all time low. The total no of insurgents in the valley are estimated to be less than 500 now. Violence has come down significantly. Things look better from the outside, but they are not. The danger is greater now since it emanates from within, rather than from outside. Instead of bullets, the Kashmiris have taken to mass protests, strikes and stone pelting. 2010 has been one of the worst years in Kashmir. Protesting against the alleged fake killings by the army, lakhs of people joined the protest and more than a hundred died in the clashes that followed, over the next several months. India had to use its full force to subdue the protests. Such mass protests have seriously weakened the moral position of the Indian state in the Kashmir valley. To a nationalist like myself, the situation's uncanny resemblance with the British rule in India is deeply troubling and worrisome. Passive resistance by common man is far more dangerous than any armed rebellion. A complete and comprehensive strategy for J&K is the dire need of the hour.

Kashmir has not been the only troubled region in India, clamoring for independence. At one time militancy in Punjab almost rivaled that of Kashmir, but today it is almost completely over. The reason for the above, was a lack of external support, lost of popular mass support and the fact that the main force fighting militancy, were the police, compromising of Sikhs only. These are the exact lessons that should be applied in Kashmir also. A partial removal of ASFPA, from certain districts is a step in the right direction. Civil laws must be strengthened to give more powers to the police. The J&K police must be heavily armed and equipped with latest gadgets. J&K police should recruit more and more unemployed people in the state, and should be kept at the forefront against any insurgent attack. Casualties of local Kashmiris at the hand of terrorists, would erode their popular support base. At the same time more Kashmirs must be inducted into the Paramilitary forces and sent to different parts of the country like the Northeast. Army presence must be made less and less visible and should only be concentrated on the border areas to make sure that there is absolutely no help from across the border. After a few years of peace, Article 370 must be slowly diluted, with a single point agenda of attracting investment (especially foreign) in the state, and not changing the demographic profile of the state. Sustained economic progress is the surest way of combating terrorism in the state. After that, there must be a sustained effort to resettle the Kashmiri Pandits back in the state in a natural unforced way, by giving them property, industry rights and economic help etc. Slowly but surely the complete Article 370 must be scrapped, facilitating J&K's complete integration into the country. A trifurcation of the state with the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Ladakh region, is also an idea worth considering.

How mush of the above is actually possible and how much would just remain wishful thinking is anyone's guess. One thing is certain, that there is no quick solution for the problem and it is going to take a very long time. The government should devote its full energy and effort in trying to win back the popular support and there should be a detailed plan for the same. However sooner or later, people's wishes will have to be respected. Only 'Soft power' and not 'gun power' can deliver the final victory. If, however (in the worst case) none of the efforts materialize, and people in the Kashmir Valley remain defiant as ever, then it is in the interest of both Kashmir and the rest of India, that there should be a referendum and India should respect the result. As it is said, it you truly love a person, you need not hold her tight. Let her leave, and she would come back to you. 

JanLokPal Bill: The missing “magic wand” to end corruption

Anna Haza

Our Prime Minister has said that there is no magic wand to end corruption in this country. Corruption is systemic, all-pervasive and deep-rooted in the mindset of Indians. It’s a cultural problem and no single bill or law can curb corruption significantly. The above statement finds resonance with a lot of intellectual persons, thinkers, columnists and common people too. However I beg to differ, from the majority, on this. After a deep study of the Jan Lokpal bill, and the manner in which corruption works in this country, I have come to the conclusion that, not only is there a magic wand to end corruption, but that this wand is none other than the Jan LokPal bill. In the rest of this post, I would only try to justify my above statement.

The first thing that we have to understand is the way in which corruption happens in this country, how the black money is channelized, and who all fall in its path. Lets us first understand the basic infrastructure of corruption in India. In India, the one of the major root cause of corruption is the nexus between the politicians and the bureaucracy. Leaving aside the corruption of MP/MLA fund and other such petty corruptions, politicians rarely ever commit corruption directly. However they are the biggest beneficiary of corruption, and in certain cases that money constitutes a significant portion of their party funds.

All major corruptions, small and big, are actually done by the bureaucracy. Whether it is the corruption in making passport/ration card, or the CWG scam, it’s the bureaucracy which actually does the corruption. Without the cooperation of the bureaucracy, corruption is impossible. But bureaucracy alone has its limitations. It itself cannot spread corruption as far, wide and deep as it is today. Bureaucracy works under the government (political system) which has direct control over the transfer, promotion etc. of the bureaucrats. More importantly, the government has control over the various investigating agencies currently functional. If these agencies like CBI are allowed to work independently, it would be very difficult for the bureaucrats to hide the paper trail of their blatant corruptions. Hence we can safely say that bureaucrats badly need the help of the ruling politicians, to give them the one thing that they need the most – protection against prosecution for their wrong doings, and they are ready to pay for it. Only the politicians can give the bureaucrats the zero risk environment needed for the unabated corruption. And only bureaucracy can give the much required money to the ruling politicians. Hence we see that that as far as corruption is concerned, the legislative and the bureaucracy, which are meant to be separate, are more like conjoint twins. This nexus between them is mutually beneficial to both at the cost of the common people. The system works so beautifully that it quickly corrupts the honest people in the system or else marginalizes them. Since votes in this country as mostly on castes, religion etc. the politicians also don’t suffer an electoral backlash because of it. This system works so well that now we have almost accepted corruption as the way of life. Indians freely give bribes to get their work done and in most cases, there are fixed corruption rates and no haggling as well.

The second major reason for the rising corruption is the lack of accountability of bureaucrats at any level for their decisions in a court of law, and the hence the great difficulty in proving corruption of the bureaucrat. Corruption complaints are almost like one man’s word against another’s, with no authentic proof. Hence it is almost impossible to proof corruption in a court of law. Also with the multiplicity of laws in our current system, it is very easy for a bureaucrat, to harass an honest citizen, who refuses to pay bribes. And even if such a person goes to the court, all that is accomplished by the multiple years spent in court is that the genuine grievance of that citizen is resolved. But still there is still no punishment for the bureaucrat who subjected him to all this trouble, as we have no such fixed accountability. The entire work is spread over many other bureaucrats with no one having any accountability for the entire work or part of the work. Hence there is no effective deterrent for the bureaucrat, as he will most certainly get away from the court of law without any punishment. This has given rise to what we can call the “culture of corruption” in our country where no work gets done without giving bribes.

Now the question arises, how can there be a magical solution to this problem, if corruption is so deep-rooted in our system and in our mindsets. But even before answering that question, let’s first shatter another common myth regarding the normal human behavior. Although most Indians start taking bribe as soon as they get the first chance and have no moral hesitation in giving one, to suit their selfish needs; this is not uncommon or strange or different from anyone else. Indians are not genetically/culturally more inclined towards corruption as compared to citizens of countries having the less corruption. There is nothing drastically wrong with us as a race. There is something wrong with the system and not within every individual. Let me explain this statement further.

In every society there are three types of people. First are those who are always on the right path, no matter what cost, what all sacrifices are required for it. These are people with a very strong moral fiber, who are very rare to find. It is impossible to convert the entire society into these types of people. Second are those who are born crooks. They will keep on trying, to find ways, of making easy money. They would be frequently successful, even in the countries having the best laws. No law can ever keep their behavior in check. But they again constitute a very small minority of the entire population. The third type is the most important type as approx 90% people belong to this category. These people have an inherent urge to be good and honest but have no real moral fiber in them. But their most significant quality is that, they do exactly the same as what everyone else, around them, does. They are pure copycats. For example - if no one in the office takes bribes, they won’t even try to start the bribing process. Also if everyone else in their vicinity is taking bribes, they too will become an integral part of the system sooner or later. More importantly, their behavior is not permanent and can change very quickly and drastically. It is this third type of people which determines the collective behavior of the society.

Now let us focus on how the Jan LokPal bill will be effective in curbing corruption and will be the “missing magic wand”, as was the bold claim made earlier by me. JanLokPal tries to curb both types of corruption. The first type of corruption is where both bribe takers and givers are equally guilty, and are involved in a mutually beneficial relationship, Eg. the 2G scam, CWG scam and all other major scams and the corruption that takes place in government contracts etc. The second type of corruption can be called “forced corruption” or an “extra tax” on the people, where the bribe giver is forced to give a bribe just to get his genuine requirements met. He is not asking for any favor but still has to pay money, otherwise he would be harassed and his important work will not get done. It is this form of corruption that a common man mostly faces, and the beauty of JanLokPal is that it would be most successful in curbing this second type of corruption.

The Jan LokPal strikes at very critical links in the chain of corruption. It basically takes the anti-corruption wing of the CBI or any other investigating agency out of the preview of the government into the direct hands of an independent agency. Hence now the politicians can no longer give foolproof guarantee to the bureaucrats, from prosecution against corruption. They can still control the transfer and promotion of the bureaucrats and the bureaucracy is still under them, but a now a crucial power is missing. With the Damocles sword of LokPal hanging over their heads, the bureaucracy would not be able to indulge in rampant and blatant corruption. Majority of the bureaucrats will never have the confidence that, they would be able to hide all evidences of their corruption. They cannot be sure that nothing would ever come out against them, even by an independent and comprehensive investigation. The fear of losing their jobs would give them the courage to defy the politicians, as they know that in any investigation it would only be their neck that would be on the line. Hence the LokPal can actually break the nexus between the politicians and the bureaucrats. Also even a single conviction would have a big ripple effect on the bureaucracy, further breaking the existing nexus between the two. Actually it is very risky in this system, to do corruption, until the bureaucracy, politicians and LokPal all come together. However by making the working of LokPal so much transparent, the chances of LokPal becoming corrupt are less. There are many provisions in the bill to ensure that this is a very rare case.

The Jan Lokpal bill also addresses the other major reason for corruption – Lack of accountability of bureaucrats for their actions. The Jan LokPal bill mandates all the government offices to declare a “Citizens Charter”, where they would have to declare that they will do the X work of the X person in X days by an X bureaucrat. JanLokPal further states that if that work is not done in that much time, without any genuine reason, it would be deemed that it was not done in anticipation of a bribe. No one has to proof anything. Also the blame lies squarely on the bureaucrat mentioned in the Citizens Charter and he would personally face punishment in the court of law. There is also a provision of an immediate fine on that officer based on the delay he caused that would be given to the aggrieved person. This will act as the strongest deterrent possible for any corrupt bureaucrat.

Shehla Masood
(RTI Activist)

With the multiplicity of complex laws in our current system, the bureaucrat still has the power to harass an honest citizen who refuses to pay bribes, and cause a limited delay in his work, giving fictitious reasons. However the society always has people of type 1, who are willing to fight for what they think is correct and moral, though they are a very small minority of the population. After the JanLokPal bill gets passed they would become the drivers of change in the society. They would not only be able to get their work done, without paying bribe, but would also get punishment for the corrupt officials. This would strike fear among the rest of them and they would be hesitant in asking for bribes to the rest of them. This fear factor, coupled with the fact, that if any person can get his work done without giving bribe he will not pay a bribe, will go a long way in curbing the “culture of corruption” in the country.

Coupled with the other features of the JanLokPal bill, it is quite clear that it is incompatible with the current corrupt system. It would create huge imbalance in the system. An honest LokPal has the potential to change the entire system. The speed of this change would also be absolutely amazing. As soon as few people start getting punished, a systemic change would take place. The 90% type three people will change their behavior overnight. That would result in the system being fundamentally changed. This in turn, will lead to a lot of changes such as the laws would be made simpler as complex laws would now be against the bureaucracy itself. Also a lot of restructuring would happen in bureaucracy to ensure accountability in the system. The greatest change would be in the politics in the country. They would have to create more genuine and legitimate sources to fund the elections expenses, like in other countries. Sure there would be a lot of anarchy and witch hunting initially, but eventually things would settle down for the better.

Anna Hazarre had said that he is confident that JanLokPal bill would be able to reduce corruption to the extent of 50-60 percent. I believe that this is a very modest claim and the actual reduction would be much higher, though it is true that corruption can never be completely removed from the society. JanLokPal can actually change the system where corruption is not the norm but something which is controlled and checked.
 

To say that corruption can only go away whenever one stops giving bribe is stupid and impractical. Campaigns like “No to bribe” etc never achieve much because the majority of the people do not have a strong moral fiber and this fundamental fact cannot be changed. The other idea to curb corruption is through more reforms, i.e. making government controls less and less, reducing the number of check posts of corruption. This no doubt is a great and practical idea and can indeed reduce corruption. The country most certainly requires such reforms. However the government’s role cannot be completely done away with. We cannot have everything deregulated and hence places where corruption can exist will still continue to be substantial. Hence we can say that other than a strong anti-corruption law, there is no other way of curbing corruption in this country. JanLokPal is the magic wand that will curb corruption in this country. It is the need of the hour and now a popular demand.