The recent dastardly terror attack in Pulwama has been the one of its worst kind in the history of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir. It has triggered an unprecedented emotional outrage in the country. Such outbursts are well justified. However, the country’s leadership has conducted itself in a matured manner. It has not given to the temptations of indulging in jingoism. On the other hand, the government chose to hurt the neighbour by hurting it on diplomatic and economic fronts.
The exercise of military option is not meant for public consumption in view of strategic reasons and as such does not form part of discourses in public domain. Let’s not forget the government of the day is dealing with a problem which it inherited and how the persistent erroneous steps taken in the past (first few years after independence) has had snow ball effect to make it graver than it would have ever been imagined. We also recognize, discussion on Kashmir conflict simply can’t happen unless we remember the contributions by our western neighbor.
Unlike in the past, fortunately political rivals to the current dispensation have at least announced their support to the government in the aftermath of this incident as a departure to their usual practice of scoring political mileage even out of such unspeakable tragedies. If we recollect there have been many occasions where their actions have indeed let down the country in terms of damaging its reputation beyond repair.
A quick recap of a few events to refresh the memories how the Congress in collaboration with likeminded members from media and so-called liberal groups tried to build narratives to suit their political ideologies. (1) A Central minister in charge of home affairs then coined a new term “Hindu Terror” as part of its favorite appeasement strategy. He accused the BJP and RSS of conducting terror training camps and promoting “Hindu terrorism”. (2) There is no dearth of Pakistan apologists making all kinds of noises which are clearly against the Indian state such as during his visit to Pakistan, Mani Shankar Iyer seeking Pakistan’s help in destabilizing Modi government; what exactly he said in Pakistan soil is “remove the Modi government to solve issues”. “Hamein le aaiye, inhein hataiye (Bring in the Congress, remove him),” Aiyar reportedly said when asked about how his party plans to resolve the dispute over Kashmir. (3) The then Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had told US Ambassador Timothy Roemer that growth of “radicalized Hindu groups” which create religious tensions in India could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (4) In the wake of Pulwama terror attack, a minister in Punjab government, notorious for his open allegiance to Pakistan state raising the question “ who released JEM chief in 1999”. Clearly referring to the decision of the NDA government then to handle the Kandahar hijack crisis. (5) A national TV channel has been holding series of discussions to prove the point the attack was a result of security lapse and intelligence failure so better we desist from accusing our friendly neighbor and put our house in order. This is exactly what it was doing in the aftermath of Pathankot. (6) That’s not all on the anti-India propaganda. A leading daily was quick enough to carry a headline “Govt blames Pak after local youth rams CRPF convoy….”; subsequent development is history i.e. how it has made our people enraged. (7) The worst is here. Immediately after Bombay carnage in late 2008 infamously referred to as 9/11, a very senior Congress leader even before the rescue-relief operations were concluded made a statement it was an act of RSS and its associates. It would be interesting to quote Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, a decorated Pakistani diplomat has claimed that shortly after the 2008 Mumbai attacks the then Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, General (retd) Shuja Pasha had admitted the planners of the 26/11 attacks were “our people” but it was not “our operation”. The revelation, which appears in Haqqani’s book on India-Pakistan relations, recounts the visit by General (retd) Pasha to Washington on December 24-25, 2008, where the former spy chief is said to have made the startling admission, according to The Hindu. Ironically for Congress party, perpetrators were the members of RSS and other Hindu organizations. On a separate occasion, soon after the triple blasts in Mumbai, the same leader then AICC general secretary had kicked up a controversy by saying that he did not rule out the involvement of RSS in the incident and demanded that the role of Hindu hardline outfits also be investigated. He went on to say RSS is spreading terrorism in the country, and it has been making bomb factories (8) Congress leaders along with other like spirited groups sharing common vision for and against India, joining the chorus of antinational elements raising pro-Pakistan slogans like Afzal Hum Sharminda Hai, Tere Qatil Zinda Hai (Afzal we are ashamed that your killers are still alive) and Bharat Tere Tukde Honge Insha Allah Insha Allah (God willing, India would be destroyed into pieces) inside JNU campus.
How dangerous! There has always been a concerted effort to degrade Hinduism by some political parties to prove their secular credentials. This is because it might have been working well for them. More such unfounded theories were constructed under the auspices of the grand old party may be because that’s an easier way for distracting from core issues which they failed to address during their long period of rule. In the process, the biggest casualty is the national security and certainly this provides impetus to the forces trying to impair country’s sovereignty. Undoubtedly these are like music to the ears of Pakistan and a big source of inspiration to continue to remain in denial of any wrong against our country. Consequently, Pakistan choses to phishing in the troubled waters and our security forces are facing the worst kind of tragedies in course of their commitment to safeguard our nation.
Kashmir as a topic has been very close to the heart of every Indian ever since the accession of Jammu & Kashmir to the Dominion of India. Unfortunately, after the insurgency intensified in 1989 it is remembered more for wrong reason(s), yet it continues to remain a central issue for our nation and it remains an article of faith for any loyal Indian that “Kashmir including POK is integral part of India”. Successive governments both at New Delhi and Srinagar have experimented many approaches but it doesn’t appear that we are anywhere close to the dream resolution. That does not mean any way for us to give up and adopt a let go-of approach.
Kashmir is fondly referred to as the Crown of India and rightly so for its artistic heritage, cultural richness and high tourism potential. The tourism economy in the Kashmir valley was worst hit ever since armed insurgency intensified however, the holy shrines of Mata Vaishno Devi and Baba Amarnath and the Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh continue to remain popular pilgrimage and tourism destinations. Ladakh is famous for its unique Indo-Tibetan culture. Chanting in Sanskrit and Tibetan language forms an integral part of Ladakh’s Buddhist lifestyle. Kashmir has been noted for its fine arts for centuries, including poetry and handicrafts. Due to the special status the State enjoys in the Indian Union, people from outside the state cannot purchase land in the state. Consequently, houseboats became popular among those who were unable to purchase land in the Valley and have now become an integral part of the Kashmiri lifestyle. Most of the buildings in the Valley and Ladakh are made from softwood and are influenced by Indian, Tibetan, and Islamic architecture. It’s a separate discussion how Article 35A was surreptitiously inserted into our Constitution and the dispute around its legitimacy is a matter of sub judice before the Supreme Court.
Proximity to Pakistan makes the Kashmir issue more complex. The Line of Control separates it from the Pakistani-administered territories of Kashmir (POK) and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north, and a Line of Actual Control separates it from the Chinese-administered territory of Aksai Chin in the east. The state has special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India which again has assumed a lot of traction in all spheres as to why it is not abrogated as promised in several occasions. The region is the subject of a territorial conflict among India, Pakistan and China. The western districts of the former princely state known as Azad Kashmir (We in India call it Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) and the northern territories known as Gilgit-Baltistan have been under Pakistani control since 1947.The Aksai Chin region in the east, bordering Tibet, has been under Chinese control since 1962.
Certain Left media outlets have been spreading the canard that the Modi government and the BJP want only Kashmir not its people. This is far removed from truth. One of the tallest leaders of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said we have to find solution to the Kashmir dispute through insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and jamhooriyat. A close look at the Modi government’s approach will reveal that there is no departure from this stated format. However, the Modi government has taken a strong stand against terrorism in the state.
To be continued
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