Why army officers want Kashmir posting

Security forces deployed in the valley habitually defy the chief minister’s instructions and Omar Abdullah has many a time publically expressed his frustrations.

Early this year, an innocent youngster was killed during an army operation in Kupwara district. Condemning the incident, the chief minister had tweeted that the incident could have been avoided if a “suggestion” made by him at a meeting of the Unified Headquarters had been implemented.

In view of the fast improving situation vis-à-vis militancy, Omar for the last two years has been advocating the need to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, in the beginning at least from the urban areas. On AFSPA, even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to some extent also concurs with the chief minister. In the aftermath of the 2010 summer unrest, the central government very nearly came close to withdrawing the AFSPA from a few urban areas. But the army made such a song and dance that the timid Manmohan Singh government had to shelve the idea like it had touched a lightning rod. As a face-saving exercise, Abdullah was asked to constitute a committee of senior officers belonging to the police, paramilitary forces and army, to look into the matter. The army’s stiff position is well-known; hence it was not difficult to anticipate the futility of such an exercise. But in order to dupe public opinion, the committee continued to meet on a few occasions. On the contrary, the army top brass in utter disregard to public sentiments, persistently voices its unpopular position on AFSPA. In the latest volley, the General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General SA Hasnain, on the revocation of AFSPA has declared that “it was too premature to think over it as the situation has not reached the stage where we can take such a major decision.” Ironically, he declined to comment on the action being taken against army people involved in the Machil fake encounter case as “it would amount to contempt of court as the matter was subjudice.”

In mitigating the complaints of human rights violations the army has to be proactive, but it continues to be inactive on this front. Conversely, on AFSPA, where senior commanders are expected to tread carefully, they speak frequently, rather out of the turn.

The presence of conflict enterprise in Kashmir is an old story. All the actors have developed a deep vested interest in the continuation of the ugly conflict. While everybody involved wants to have his pound of flesh, the common man suffers endlessly. The diplomatic cables of American diplomats leaked by Wikileaks have fully exposed the antics of all those involved in the messy situation of Kashmir; hardly anybody has been left unscathed.

It is alleged that the Sheikh clan since 1947 has been receiving funds from New Delhi and Islamabad alternatively; the leaked diplomatic cables have only refreshed public memory. Disgusting has been the behaviour of the separatists — the blood merchants masquerading as freedom fighters. At a time when thousands were being pushed to the blind alleys of death and destruction, according to Wikileaks, the separatists impudently purchased properties in Dubai and elsewhere. It is nauseating that some of the influential separatists were on the payroll of the ISI and the IB at the same time. Some security officials seek repeated postings in the valley, what is there so lucrative in conflict-ridden Kashmir? Wikileaks solves the puzzle. “Security officers bribe their way into Kashmir assignments that give access to lucrative civil affairs and logistics contracts.” Earlier, the forces were involved in organising ‘Bharat Drashan’ for students and supplying commuters and furniture to the schools. From this year onwards, the army has started organising cricket tournaments in a big way. No harm if through Sadbhavana operations it can win the hearts and minds of the local people.  However, wining hearts and minds amidst continued human rights violations is impossible. Sadbhavana operations in theory might be a commendable thought; in practice it has proved to be a goldmine of corruption. Nowadays, the army is busy in ‘Awami Mulaqat’.

Senior commanders, like politicians, address public gatherings with the civilian bureaucracy in tow. This not only impinges upon the role of the civilian government, through these shortcuts everlasting peace can never prevail. What prevails is an eerie calm, described as ‘armed peace’ in Kashmir.