Homeland Security

Kashmir Policy – questions for the hierarchy
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Issue Net Edition | Date : 20 Jun , 2018

Sepoy Aurangzeb

While stating he and his other sons were also ready to sacrifice their lives for the country, Mohammed Haneef father of Sepoy Aurangzeb, recently abducted and killed by terrorists in J&K, questioned – why is Pakistani flag seen in Kashmir, why not the Indian Tricolour? For decades kith and kin of martyred soldiers have demanded revenge, but Mohammed Haneef’s question is unique – asked by a martyr’s father, not that public at large has not been asking the same question.

Fresh ideas injected in social media say “give peace a chance” was call by the Army Chief, which the government could not overrule; this is rubbish. It was the Union Government that declared the conditional ceasefire, directing security forces not to launch operations during 30 days of Ramzan. Defence Minister Sitharaman has stated it is not MoD’s role to determine whether the ceasefire has been successful or not, even as militant-related incidents double during Ramzan ceasefire, as enumerated in media reports.

Getting back to Pakistani flags being displayed in J&K, which has been happening past few years, inaction has increased frequency of such incidents and now even women display ISIS flags. What answer does the State and Centre have? Does it not have national bearing reflecting on our actions vis-à-vis slogans of zero tolerance to terrorism? Why can’t the J&K government declare it punishable offence and arrest offenders doing so in plain view and covered by media? Why can’t this be rule for the entire country? What about stone-pelters? Does any country respond in the pusillanimous manner like us – even after security personnel are stoned to death? Why our politicians are so shamelessly unaffected by the world laughing at us, and joy of the Islamists, ISI and ISI-affiliated organizations?

Why can’t we understand that giving encouragement to stone-pelters implies they will next pick up guns? Stone-pelters are being released by the thousands, even second-time offenders, to keep the circle of violence going. From stoning vehicles, and CRPF personnel, they now are stone-pelting army foot patrols. Has any mastermind / kingpin of stone-pelters been identified, apprehended and prosecuted? Has MHA demanded such details? Mehbooba Mufti even released 115 criminals on Eid under pretext they are not involved in “serious crimes”, even as jails are dens for radicalization, replete with Pakistani flags and jihadi literature, as found during raids. Perhaps her next move will be releasing more criminals during Id-UL-Zuha in August. As it is, anarchy can be seen daily on the streets, with public burials used as platforms to incite more and more radicalism.

Are we monitoring sermons of wahabi mullahs and radical politicians? Can we learn from China how to handle them? There is also talk of judiciary being as corrupt as bureaucracy, judges on Congress payroll and the like. Hence, the nonsense of FIR’s, directives of how to deal with stone-pelters etc. But more the judiciary is corrupt, aren’t better the chances to make them fall in line; saam, daam, dand, bhed.

Take the killing of Shujaat Bukhari by the LeT in conjunction Hurriyat, and Pakistan putting the blame on Indian agencies. When will we learn to handle the Hurriyat and hit back at the masterminds across the border ‘similarly’? When will we acknowledge that the task of external agencies is to gain intelligence or at best special intelligence operations, not special operations? World over external intelligence agencies work in tandem with Special Forces, but we continue to remain tied down with the police mentality, despite the asymmetric advantage we face vis-à-vis Pakistan and China.

China overwhelmed Tibet with demographic invasion and is incrementally attempting the same in Xinjiang. Pakistan has changed demography of POK with outside settlers; the Shia population in Gilgit-Baltistan has already been brought down from 70% to 50%. ISI’s plan of Islamization of the Valley is running full steam, with tentacles reaching into Leh and Jammu. But what about the sordid proclamations of 2014 – return of Kashmiri Pandits? Any number of veterans from military-CAPF and volunteers from within J&K and outside like Mohammed Haneef and Aurangzeb’s brothers could be mustered to help return of Kashmiri Pandits, provided we have the will and a plan. If 4000 Rohingya’s have colonized Jammu despite Article 370, what is stopping an armed escort of few thousands to help return of Kashmiri Pandits? Let all the terrorist-mullahs of Pakistan attempt mass infiltration with Pakistani army in tandem – what better to get them attacking on our terms?

Finally, it is the smug politicians enjoying all the power. Amazingly, J&K received 10% of all Central grants given to States during 2000-2016 despite having just 1% of the population, each resident of J&K getting around Rs one lakh as per a media repot. But this averaging is incorrect because funds are released to State Government which is traditionally biased against Ladakh and Jammu; the Valley gets the lion’s share. In addition are the funds pouring in for terrorism and jihad from within the country and from abroad? So why should militancy not flourish? Why should Mehbooba not smile when militancy is continuing in sync with the PDP-Hijbul Mujahiddeen program, and while her sister and family have been enjoying the hospitality of the Centre in South India for the past several years with all the red carpet trappings of security, bungalow, you name it? Remember her father Mufti Muhammad Saeed publicly thanking Pakistan for his election win, with PM Modi sitting next to him? And given the free run accorded to her, why would Mehbooba not cock a snoot at the Centre by playing the national anthem at her Iftar party and no one getting up?

Above is what the State and the Centre need to answer to the nation. From the looks of it, the J&K government and the main Opposition will continue to remain fence sitters and will permit organizations like Hurriyat to fuel terrorism, even as the latter’s wards are enjoying good jobs – away from the so-called jihad. The Centre too is drifting despite glib talk of this doctrine and that concept. The Ramzan ceasefire is a failure that wiped out gains of Operation ‘All Out’. Despite total appeasement, the UNHCR report has slammed us, which indicates we failed to be preempt it at the UNHCR, as China has been doing.

Need of the hour is to dismiss the J&K State Government and place it under a dynamic Governor. Pussyfooting has permitted the volatility of 4-5 districts in the Valley rise to dangerous levels. They don’t comprise J&K but continuing a policy of drift will make the environment more unstable.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Lt Gen Prakash Katoch

is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army.

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One thought on “Kashmir Policy – questions for the hierarchy

  1. The sordid and craven response to ISI sponsored terror in the Valley with the prime minister himself being a passive spectator, along with an equally incompetent defence minister, have only made matters much worse. This columnist has been very vocal in supporting a more muscular policy in eliminating terrorists and their sponsors across the LoC. The Centre can practically obliterate the terror camps with the help of drones and aerial bombardment or even outsource it to the third parties like the Balochs, who would only be too happy to do the job, with adequate support and armaments. And WHY NOT? It is the biggest card up India’s sleeve. For once India can tell the UN Human Rights Commission to shut up and mind their own business. Where were they when Rawalpindi ordered the butchery of three million innocent men, women and children in the then East Bengal or when its army horrifically mutiliated Capt Saurabh Kalia and his men, against most basic norms of civilization? But vote bank politics plays spoilsport all the time, even for the party elected with an overwhelming majority, on the plank of nationalism. It is time to revive the TECHNICAL SUPPORT DIVISION, the only military agency that could have taught a lesson to two to the barbarians of the ISI-Jihadi-Mullah combine. But rest assured the utterly incompetent IPS lobby, which has appropriated all the spy and security agencies in India, would be the first to sabotage such a move, with the blessings of their masters in khadi..

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