Bring back the healing touch

Kamal Davar 
Former chief of Defence Intelligence Agency; Ex-GOC Ladakh & chief of staff of Corps HQ

India’s restive Kashmir Valley continues to simmer. Two youngsters fell to bullets fired, in self-defence, by army personnel when these youths, along with a large mob, pelted stones at an army convoy passing through Shopian resulting in seven army personnel getting injured and a few army vehicles suffered damage. That some in the mob tried to lynch the JCO in charge was indeed an unacceptable provocation. 

Though stone-pelting incidents have gone down considerably in the last few months in the Valley and despite the largest number of Pakistani terrorists coupled with some indigenous militants, since years, having been eliminated in 2017, the overall security situation in J&K remains a cause of concern and pain. 

Pakistan, the chief perpetrator of this decades old problem in J&K, persists with its obsession to keep the pot boiling in the state, now escalating its mischief along the international border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) by frequent ceasefire violations targeting innocent civilians in the border villages. That swift and heavy Indian retaliation on its border posts and resultant casualties to it has not yet dampened Pakistan's proclivity to indulge in irresponsible actions, both inside the Valley and along the LoC and IB, should be factored in by India's security establishment. It now calls for a fresh, multi-pronged strategy to effectively counter Pakistani transgressions and increase the costs to Pakistan for its persistent mischief. 

The Indian state must also seriously ponder over the simple fact that despite J&K being a part of the Union of India since 1947, why Kashmir has not fully emotionally integrated itself with its parent nation. Unquestionably, since Independence, all those who have been in power at the Centre and, equally, in the state cannot absolve themselves of this glaring lapse — politically, diplomatically and militarily. It would be in the larger interests of the nation, that historical blunders committed by Indian political leadership do not get repeated The Indian establishment must comprehend that the overall strategic challenges facing it today, and, in the foreseeable future, from a collusive China-Pakistan nexus are far too serious than ever before.

Though J&K’s perfectly legal accession to India is an indelible fact, the nation must not wish away the avoidable turbulence plaguing the Valley. Just for some armchair strategists to exclaim that only five out of J&K's 22 districts are affected by Pak-sponsored insurgency is brushing harsh realities under the carpet. The appearance of the fidayeen (suicide bombers) for the first time in the Valley and the re-emergence of IEDs after 20 years portend serious security problems cropping up in the state.

Mehbooba Mufti is doing a fair job in J&K despite its ongoing turmoil and the political pulls and pushes, both internal and external. Without compromising on the security dimension, the Centre must now dedicatedly pursue a pragmatic and humanitarian approach to resolve the Kashmir conundrum. Political parties must realise that the J&K impasse is too serious a national problem for it to be flogged at the altar of electoral machinations. 

The initiative to restore the overall the vexed Kashmir problem will have to be taken at the level of Prime Minister Modi himself. The PM must visit J&K soonest possible and announce a major economic and doable political package for the state. The sole Centre-appointed interlocutor, currently at work in the state, should be reinforced by at least three additional members, representing the political, economic and academic fraternity — all preferably experienced Kashmir hands. 

The security establishment will have to rework the deployment structure in the security grid. Army troops must avoid operations in the hinterland, unless vitally warranted. The J&K police, doing otherwise a brave job under the circumstances, must be given better arms, equipment and night vision devices to combat the insurgents. Its coordination with the paramilitary needs further refinement. Overall, the intelligence apparatus needs to be further re-energised at the ground level by enhancing its penetrative abilities whilst also eliminating illegal funding channels of the terrorists. The Army has a proud human rights record and it carries out its onerous responsibility with a sense of compassion and balance. However, it must continue with its endeavours to get the locals on its side — an imperative in combating foreign sponsored insurgency. Meanwhile, the current conditions in the Valley are not conducive for the Armed Forces Special Powers Act to be repealed — an unfair demand of some local politicians. The security forces are merely doing their job under very trying circumstances. Any over-reactions, by them, if ever they are, can be independently investigated.