It was winter- of 1963 when the holy relic at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar went missing. News spread like wild fire and a crowd of more than quarter of a million assembled in Srinagar town. A police station, tehsil headquarters and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed’s hotel, then under construction, were set on fire. So also the fire fighting vehicles that were called to the scene. We sent military’s firefighting vehicles accompanied by a fully armed platoon. Civil administration simply panicked and handed over the city of Srinagar to the army.
We moved two battalions from Baramullah and made them camp in the centre of the town. The three hundred odd vehicles which had only recently completed stocking of Ladakh were moved at mid night towards Baramullah and then brought back at day break giving the impression that the whole division had been moved to Srinagar.
Poor, as the Indian intelligence invariably has been, it failed to gather information concerning this new form of protest of stone pelting, involving young boys and the elements behind this nefarious activity. There are reports of regular payments being made to stone pelters.
While the crowds, in increasing numbers, gathered in the town for the next couple of days no untoward incident took place. Troops with their officers were out day and night to show their presence and appeared determined to take firm action to deal with any mischief. Till then military’s presence had a salutary effect on the mobs, which unfortunately has been eroded due to excessive use of military for such tasks. Since then much water has flowed down the Jhelum, the political scene too has undergone a sea change, crowds have become more restive and hardliners multiplied.. Politics in the valley has become of the very base variety.
There is no apparent reason or rationale to the present turmoil in the valley. There is a functional government, as caring and efficient as any in the country. Unemployment is a feature all across India, more in many other parts of the country. Employment opportunities everywhere could not keep pace with population explosion. Two decades of violence is not state’s doing but that of Pakistan and the hard liners. Frustration of some political parties now out of power and others who stoke fires of discontent at every turn of event, aided and abetted by Pakistan, is the cause of ongoing trouble.
In crowd control, when all others means fail and fire has to be opened as a last resort, the governing principal is to shoot, not to kill, but incapacitate. How then has the police and CRPF been shooting to kill. This form of fire has been leading to a cascading cycle of protests and more killings. Police officers ( IPS officers ) who should be there to ensure policemen exercise restrain are not to be seen and have left the field to havaldars and inspectors.
Also read: Does India have National Security
Poor, as the Indian intelligence invariably has been, it failed to gather information concerning this new form of protest of stone pelting, involving young boys and the elements behind this nefarious activity. There are reports of regular payments being made to stone pelters. It is likely that quite a few killings is the result of fire from terrorists hiding in the surrounding buildings. Ingenious are the ways of the mischief makers.
While India has poured hundreds of millions of rupees into the state and is continuing with the practice, most of it has been finding its way into corrupt pockets and balance mainly deployed in the valley. Thus people below poverty line in the valley are only 4 to 5 percent ( India year book figures ) There has been complete political freedom and free and fair elections have been regularly held.The situation in POK is quite different. Free and fair elections is a rarity and poverty levels are high. Not only has Pakistan altered the demography of POK but also of Northern Areas. In India too demographic pattern under went a change when Pandits were driven out of the valley. It was the time of governor’s rule and a matter of great shame for India. As batches of Pandits started arrived in Jammu, there was palpable tension in the town. I met the governor and impressed upon him to stop this exodus to Jammu and if necessary establish refugee camps in the valley itself. Nothing was done and the pain of partition was repeated once more, though at a lesser scale.
Thousands have died at the hands of terrorists and many women assaulted. For fear of retaliation from terrorists, these are not reported and media in any case does not find these sensational enough. Fathers of both Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Sajjid Lone were murdered by the terrorists. Mehbooba Mufti’s sister was kidnapped by terrorists and her rescue in exchange for release of some terrorists was the start point of the turmoil in the valley and yet they never utter a word against the terrorists and insurgents. It is only the security forces who are the whipping boys for them.
Those of us who have spent years in J and K, both at the grass root level and amongst higher echelons, have maintained that there are no moderates in the valley. On 13 August, 2010, after the Friday prayers, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq realized that it was the opportune moment to take off the moderate mask and declared, that he wanted, no financial package, no jobs, no autonomy and no Indian military, but only Azadi! Kashmir was a Muslim majority state and for him Jammu and Ladakh don’t count.
The idea of open or soft borders in J and K is fraught with serious security implications, more so when the Americans pull out of Afghanistan and Taliban regain their foothold in that country.
Kathwari was invited to India to put forward his proposal of ‘way forward,’ thus indicating a change in the Indian Strategic perspective. ‘Kathwari Plan’ pointed to a quasi independent state which eventually would have led to independent Greater Muslim Kashmir. Regional Autonomy Report of National Conference envisaged division of the state along the same lines as Musharraf did later on. However such a proposal is incompatible with the secular character of Indian nation. That is why Article 370 remained a transitory provision. Independent or quasi independent J and K will be a political blasphemy and the specter of the horrible aftermath of partition will confront us once more.
Considering the stand being adopted by the disparate groups in the valley no useful talks are possible. Nor will the sops now being offered by the P.M. will work. It is time Indian government got real and dealt firmly with the situation before it deteriorates any further. We have allowed this problem to simmer for too long.
The idea of open or soft borders in J and K is fraught with serious security implications, more so when the Americans pull out of Afghanistan and Taliban regain their foothold in that country. Thereafter their focus and those of other Jehadi groups will shift to J and K. Soft borders in J and K can only be considered when we have soft borders elsewhere with Pakistan. Equally the proposal of greater autonomy or quasi independence will have a domino effect elsewhere in India and may eventually lead to Balkanisation of the country: a long term aim of some of our adversaries.
India has failed to draw the people of the valley into the national main stream and this has been the principal failure at the political level. Article 370 has been the main stumbling block towards this assimilation. If hardliners and other antinational elements do not give up their nefarious activities then India must seriously consider abrogation of article 370. Nation must show the resolve to bite the bullet and integrate people of J and K into the national mainstream.
Attempts are on to water down the Armed forces Special Powers Act ( AFSPA ) The Army Chief has already expressed his views on the subject and the others who have long experience in counter insurgency warn us that this watering down of the Act will render the military ineffective. In Afghanistan too there has been collateral damage to civilians during U.S Army operations against insurgents etc. So a special medal for those who exercise restrain in combating insurgents has been instituted. In most cases it has been a posthumous award.
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