In recent times there has been quite a lot of criticism of the ‘war on terror’. The tenor and intensity of these critiques increased as the date of President Bush’s ouster came closer.
So we all know by now that the war on terror was all wrong, the most recent proponent of this belief being the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
The move by President Obama to order the closure of Guantanamo Bay on his first day in office is a huge leap in this direction. Everyone is speaking of debilitating terrorism at the roots. But nobody has really shown a viable alternative. So is there really a win-win module when it comes to fighting terrorism? Firstly, terrorism in a particular country is best understood and handled by the law-enforcement agencies of that country, with a given that the agencies are empowered and envisioned enough to do so.
The manner in which the US has stormed into Iraq and Afghanistan and set up bases in Pakistan for the last seven years reeks too much of a modern day colonialism that is best discouraged as far as possible. While Miliband’s views in the larger scheme of things are welcome, his comments on Kashmir left many in India rather sore. They betrayed a certain ignorance and insensitivity to the restraint exhibited by India in this state for years, a restraint that has started to bear fruits finally. The recent turnout in the Jammu & Kashmir elections and the appointment of Omar Abdullah as the Chief Minister augurs well for the state. Perhaps, there is some learning from Kashmir that can be tried at a macro level across the globe.
India has had a difficult task at hands when dealing with insurgency in Kashmir. For years the Indian Army has handled rampant infiltration, hostility and arson in the manner they were best equipped with. They have been lauded at times and criticised at others. Praised for bringing some semblance of order in a trouble-torn state, bringing down terrorist activities considerably. Criticised for human rights violations, excesses and instances of misplaced suspicion and rounding up of innocent people in the name of counter insurgency operations. But when we talk of human rights we must realise that in highly charged atmospheres, things you never imagined do take place. The ground realities are rather stark and simple. They are ruled by self preservation in its most naked form.
The hallmark of all separatist and terrorist movements anywhere in the world is the breeding of antagonist feelings-some real, some imagined — amongst the people by agencies who have their own motives. But over the years, the Indian Army in Kashmir has realised that the conflict here is definitely not an ‘us verses them’ scenario. Counter-insurgency operations in many ways are much more complicated than conventional warfare. In the olden times, wars used to begin and end within 15-20 days. Counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir have been on for over 20 years. In conventional wars, you had to just blindly aim at the enemy and shoot in that direction. But here there is no tangible enemy. It is your own people that you are fighting. You cannot annihilate them all and create a new state.
No matter how beautiful the land, without the people of Kashmir, there will be no Kashmir. The people of J&K originally comprised of a fine cultural mix of Kashmiri Pundits, Muslims, Dogras from Jammu, Ladakhis and Gujjars. A sizeable amount of the non-Muslim communities have been displaced from Kashmir over the years. The once landed gentry of Kashmir, the Kashmiri pundits were forced to flee and live in concentration camp like settlements in Delhi, from where they went on to a slow, stunted rehabilitation. Squalid and scanty as their living conditions were, they still preferred them to the violence and insecurity of living in Kashmir. None seems to talk of them as the people of Kashmir anymore. But is it right?
There is no denying that today the predominant Muslim populace of Kashmir has some emotional, cultural and spiritual ties with the people across the border. The Indian Army realised long ago that it is important to win the hearts of the people of Kashmir and get them on their side. All this is easier said than done. Trusting a person who was out to get you till a few months ago and including him in your daily routines requires not only immense courage and magnanimity but a definite departure from myopic world views. Many of these misguided youths had taken to the path of destruction not just for religious reasons but abject poverty as with the drastic drop in tourism over the years, the means of livelihood of the people of this picturesque state had disappeared. The young men of Kashmir were lured by terrorist outfits with the promise of a neat packet of money for their families even if they annihilated themselves in yet another fidayeen attack or an encounter. Now these young men are productively employed and given a nominal salary. The people of Kashmir have realised that all those uninvited guests who have come here for the last two decades forging a bogus bond based on religion and selling them a warped concept of jihad have only helped them in turning this beautiful state into a living hell. They have not upheld any cause other than throwing them into an abyss of poverty and backwardness. What the people of Kashmir want today are not guns and grenades, but schools, jobs and dignity.
There is also the question of governments across the globe postponing path-breaking solutions to political problems forever, to suit their selfish agendas. If lobbies are talking of the human rights of terrorists and hostile populations that chose to betray their countries, it is time we spoke of the human rights of a soldier. A soldier is human too.
And by that argument he too has some human rights. In times to come it will get more and more difficult to justify senseless aggression not just to civilians but even to soldiers.
Army can no more continue to be just a means of indiscreet destruction of hostile forces. But like the age-old Indian holy trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Army in today’s times has to be a triple force — the creator of goodwill, the sustainer of life and livelihood and the destructor of unwanted elements, if need be.
Till the time we can hope to reach that near utopian world where armies are redundant — and here’s wishing for that day too — this is a good enough model to follow.
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