India had some major opportunities in the turbulent Kashmir that it allowed to slip away from its hands. The martyrdom of local youth, Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, and the split between militants and Hurriyat leaders over the issue of Islamic caliphate were such moments that had given it a vantage point in the Valley.
Although it sounds unsavory to suggest but the killing of Lt Fayaz had provided the Indian state a chance to strategically showcase that Kashmiri youths are sacrificing their lives to protect Kashmir and they are becoming victims of militancy too. When an Army school in the Valley was renamed after Lt Fayaz and Army chief declared Lt Fayaz as a role model for Kashmiri youths, many people thought India was moving in the right direction to corner militants and separatists but these hopes were belied soon.
Hawkish stance will not win hearts
What came later was an utter shock to many. Instead of a healing touch, Army rubbed salt on the wounds of Kashmiris with its action of honouring Major Leetul Gogol with Army Chief’s commendation letter, which is considered just a notch below the gallantry awards, for his role in the anti-insurgency campaigns in the Valley. Army’s hawkish style became evident when Major Gogoi appeared before the media and termed Kashmir youth Farooq Ahmed Daar, a shawl maker who was tied in front of an Army jeep as a “human shield”, “a stone-pelter who was leading and instigating the mob” on the fateful day of Srinagar by-polls in the Budgam area on April 9.
Major Gogoi, against whom a court of inquiry is still underway, justified his action by saying that he did it in order to protect the polling party and the people of the area. “A violent mob had surrounded us. If I had ordered firing, several lives would have gone.” There’s no denying that the current situation is difficult in the Valley, but using a youth as a human shield can never be part of standard operating procedures of the Army. When Army initiated a court of inquiry against Major Gogoi, it seemed it has realized the negative impact of its move, but now it appears Army had no qualms in using a man as a human shield. The Army’s action has the Government open support too. Referring the incident involving Major Gogoi, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said, “How a situation is to be dealt with in a war-like zone, it is best to leave to the Army officers to decide. They don’t have to consulting Members of Parliament as to what should be done under these circumstances…Military solutions are to be provided by military officers, not through comments of politicians.”
However, the honour bestowed on Major Gogoi was bound to have adverse reactions. Rights watchdog Amnesty international in a statement said that awarding an officer who tied a youth to a jeep shows “disdain for human rights”. After hearing the news, the victim of Major Gogoi’s act, Farooq Ahmed Dar, came with a poser, “Is it bravery to tie a youth with the bonnet of an Army jeep? I had gone to vote in the election despite threats of militants, and was picked by the Army and paraded on the street for hours,” he rued. Farooq’s travails will certainly further alienate the youths in the Valley. Farooq Dar later approached State Human Rights Commission, terming Major Gogoi’s honour as “illegal”.
Security forces were humiliated too
The video of Farooq tied to the jeep had came close on the heels of another video appearing in the social media in which Kashmiri youths were humiliating paramilitary forces deployed on election duty in the state. One can recall how emotionally charged was the atmosphere: When Lt Gen H S Panag, a former GOC-in-C of Northern and Central Commands of the Army, tweeted that “image of a ‘stone-pelter’ tied in front of a jeep as a ‘human shield’ will forever haunt the Indian Army and the nation”, he was trolled in social media. Trolls even accused the decorated soldier of being a Pakitani supporter.
The incident of incident of Farooq tied to the Army jeep had come into public domain after National Conference leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir tweeted the video in question. Both the videos - Kashmiri youths humiliating Indian paramilitary forces in the valley and the Kashmiri youth tied in front of an Army jeep - are exemplary, around which the whole discourse on Kashmir is revolving today. While the humiliation of Indian paramilitary forces by Kashmir youths in the valley shows the tough circumstances in which our security forces are operating, the images of Kashmiri youth tied in front of an Army jeep is an example of how people of the Valley are being treated in the current situation.
Country has been sharply divided on the modus operandi of tackling the Kashmir problem. Hawks drew inferences from the video of paramilitary personnel being mistreated that Kashmir needs an Army solution, that the state must establish its writ in the Valley and, that India is a victim of its image of a soft state. A major section of retired Army generals, right wing intellectuals and especially the people active on social media echoed these views. Some of them even branded the whole Kashmiri youths as militants and separatists.
On the other hand, while acknowledging that the situation is really tough for security forces in the Valley, liberals decried the Army’s move to use the Kashmiri youth as human shield. They cited the example of record low turnout in Srinagar by-polls to drive their point home and blamed the Modi government and Mehbooba Mufti led BJP-PDP state government for the worsening situation in the Valley.
Split not tapped by government
Apart from the martyrdom of Lt Fayaz, there was another incident which had given an edge to Indian government. Zakir Musa, who took over the reins of Hizb ul Mujahideen after Burhan Wani was killed last year, warned Hurriyat leaders to chop their heads and display them at Lal Chowk in Srinagar if they talk about freedom of Kashmir.
Earlier, he had made militants’ intent clear when he declared, “We are not fighting for ‘freedom’, but for establishing an Islamic caliphate in Kashmir.” What was important from India’s point of view was that Hurriyat leaders denounced his assertion and categorically said that terror organizations have nothing to do with “freedom struggle” of Kashmir. It angered Hizbul commander and he warned them of dire consequences. However, Hizbul spokesperson dissociated the militant organization from Musa’s intent and Musa quit the organization.
Militants has been getting support from Hurriyat leaders till recently, but now cleft among their rank and files have come to fore which India should have utilized to its advantage. Indian government should have gone to the masses with the message – “Look, this is the real intent of militants”. But it failed miserably to do so which should be seen as a tactical failure on its part.
Kashmir needs a political solution
Such charged is the environment today that voices of sanity are getting drowned in the din of jingoism and revenge. If the current situation in Kashmir, which once showcased the secular character of Indian state, makes our policy makers to resort to an Army solution to the issue and use excess military powers against local population, then we are going to inflict such an injury on our nation that won’t be easy to heal in the near future.
Instead of looking for an Army solution, the government must try to find a political solution to the Kashmir issue. In order to achieve this target, India’s strategy should be three fold: alienate the militants from local youths, counter the rhetoric of Pakistan and make Kashmiri population realize that Indian state is not an enemy of them.
One should keep in mind that an enemy could be won by Army but not our own people. Use of force can keep the geography of a region intact, but cannot win the hearts of the people. Hence it’s not the time for jingoism, but a meticulously drafted political strategy is the key to win the Kashmiris.
(The author is Executive Editor, Live India news channel. The views are author’s personal)