J&K: The ground reality

A Jammu Kashmir policeman patrols a street during a protest in Srinagar on Wednesday. (Photo: AP)

There is no dearth in India of apologists, pseudo-secularists, leftists, human rights activists etc and also outright traitors referred to as separatists in the Kashmir Valley — those who while enjoying fat salaries or large sums ill-begotten money and all the benefits of the Indian system, not only vilify India, but also in some cases, glorify its adversaries/enemies.

During 68 years since Independence. the categories mentioned grew, spawned and prospered. For many of them India-bashing is considered “fashionable”. While since the advent of the BJP government at the Centre, a small section of the categories may have begun to squirm, but thanks to the negative “fringe”, which has given Hindutva, a bad name, India-bashers get impetus.

However, it is when highly regarded intellectuals display traits of those in the mentioned categories in their writings or speeches, that their readers and listeners need to be discerning. A recent not-so-pleasant surprise comes from Ashish Nandy in his recent article in a weekly.

His opening paragraph reads: “The current crisis in Kashmir is similar to the situation in Palestine. In both places, teenagers have been throwing stones and they are the ones who are mostly getting killed. In both places, the army and the ruling regime is saying that the kids are a front for terrorists and other enemies of the state. And the long-term effects in both countries are likely to be the same”.

It is amazing how Nandy generalises so simplistically. Apart from many differences, the major ones are that the state of Israel was foisted on the people of Palestine, whereas Jammu and Kashmir willingly acceded to the Union of India. Also, Palestine does not have Article 370.

Next: “In Kashmir, an entire generation of thinkers, scholars, political activists, including those who think that terrorism has done more harm than good to kashmir, have been moved and deeply saddened by the cruelty and the surplus violence that our politicians and Army have produced ” Either Nandy is surprisingly ignorant or chooses to twist facts. There is no comparison between the two armies. The Indian Army combats Pakistani/ Pak Army/Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) supported terrorists while providing valuable civic assistance to the people of Kashmir.

Nandy should know that there are no pellet-guns in the Army’s inventory. Such anti-riot equipment is only held by police forces. He should know the clear differences between the Army and police. And in Manipur, when a fact-finding body was researching about the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, public feedback was that the act should be removed but not the Army. And wherever there have been any aberrations by Army personnel, they have been investigated and those guilty have been expeditiously punished.

Nandy should know that while in the period preceding July 8, there were 22 attacks including one on the Army, 16 on Jammu & Kashmir Police and 5 on CRPF, since July 8, there have been 48 incidents, including 41 attacks on police stations, one on the Army, 3 on CRPF and 3 against J&K Police.

Pakistan Army’s brutalities in erstwhile East Pakistan, in 1970-71, when it massacred three million people and raped 450,000 women, should be recalled.

According to Dhaka journalist Saleem Samad, more than half of the victims were Bengali Hindus. Late Granville G. Watts of Reuters and other foreign correspondents who covered the 1971 India-Pak war were all praise for Indian troops against who there were no reports of any sort of misbehaviour. After the same war 93,000 Pak Army personnel captured by Indian Army as prisoners of war were repatriated in good health.

Nandy’s article has just about a phrase on Pakistan, which stands exposed on funding and organising terror and disruption in Kashmir like never before.

A tweet on Nandy’s article by Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), former GOC of the Srinagar based 15 Corps, reads: “Army (is) the scapegoat for what it has not done and Nandy reflects how little he knows of conflicts.” There are many more negative tweets on this article.

The writer, a retired Army officer, is a defence and security analyst based in New Delhi