Many Indians believe that military force is the solution to the Kashmir issue. Many Indians believe that dialogue is the only way forward. Both are right. Both are wrong. Kashmir is a little more complicated than that, and the fault lies with us. We have mismanaged Kashmir for 70 years, and for the past 30 years, we have surpassed ourselves in creativity.

Whenever a population is subjected to genocide and massive violence, there is mass exodus. Syrians, Kashmiri Pandits and Rohingya Muslims have been forced to leave their homeland because the alternative was death, or worse.

In 622 AD, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) migrated from Mecca to Yathrib. Islam is a revealed religion, revealed to the Prophet through archangel Gabriel. Before Islam was revealed, Arabia was living in darkness and ignorance. The message that the Prophet carried was so radical that it upset the social order of those times. The Prophet spoke about social justice and equality. He said that in the presence of Allah, kings and beggars were equal. The tribe of Qureysh, the dominant tribe to which the Prophet himself belonged, turned upon him. He was the target of assassination, and the first Muslims were in the gravest danger. For the safety of his followers and the fledgling faith, the Prophet undertook the Hijera, or migration.

Exodus always has a trigger, a raison d’être so undeniable and powerful that a people must leave their homeland, where the ashes and bones of their ancestors are interred.

There has never, in history, been an exodus of Kashmiri Muslims from the Valley. Sure, many left the Valley, and continue to do so, to seek a better life in other states of India, but there has been no mass migration. Because there was no genocide. There was no state-sponsored massive violence inflicted upon Kashmiri Muslims. Yes, there have been human rights violations. Yes, Kashmiris have lived through terrible times. Yes, many of their complaints against the Indian state are genuine and legitimate.

Radicalization in Kashmir is not a new phenomenon. It started in the Valley in the same decade that it started in Pakistan, under General Zia ul Haq. For Kashmir to find mass resonance in Pakistan, the “freedom movement” would have to have an Islamic signature tune. Zia’s Islam was an exclusive and harsh faith, which had no resemblance to the gentle strand of Sufi Islam, which has all but died in Kashmir. Zia held non-Muslims to be “kafirs” and hence, “wajib-ul-qatl” or who’s killing was justified. And those whose killing was justified in Kashmir were Kashmiri Pandits, the land’s original inhabitants. Kashmiri Pandits were successful, organized and influential. Status quo could not be permitted.

Kashmiri Pandits migrated from the Valley because they were subjected to genocide, ethnic cleansing and rape. Their shops were burned down and they were gunned down in the streets. They were given three choices – raliv, galiv ya chaliv. Convert, die or escape. Those who wanted to go were told to leave their womenfolk behind. 19 January 1990 has been forever burned into the collective consciousness of the Kashmiri Pandits.

It was a brilliant tactical move by Pakistan. The Kashmiri Muslim had nothing in common with the Pakistani Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun or Baloch. Except Islam. Zia and his ISI chief Lt Gen Hamid Gul truly believed that it was Islam and its mujahideen that had humbled the mighty USSR. This was only partially true. But Zia and Gul believed with the fervor of those who had found faith. If Islam’s warriors could break the USSR, India would be a cakewalk. During the decade, Pakistan launched Operation Topac, and in 1989 Kashmir exploded in our face.

Thousands of terrorists infiltrated into the Valley from Pakistan. They walked openly on the streets carrying Kalashnikovs. They killed, raped and executed with impunity. Every week there would be a rumor that Kashmir was about to fall, and that a very public uprising was around the corner. Those days, the Indian Army was mostly along the Line of Control. The situation was so bad that something had to be done immediately, or we would lose Kashmir.

Pakistan waited with bated breath. It was only a matter a time before the mujahideen raised the Pakistani flag all over the valley, they believed. The Kashmiri Pandits had been forced to flee and saner elements in Kashmir had been murdered. Yes, it was only a matter of time.

Then, the Indian Army did what it always does. It drew upon its vast reservoir of experience in counter insurgency operation in the North East and tabled a solution in front of the central government. The clearly rattled government couldn’t approve quickly enough.

In 1990, Kashmir saw another kind of soldier, very unlike Indian Army soldiers seen earlier. He had long hair and often sported a beard. He carried an AK 47. He was differently dressed, and he operated in small teams. He hunted all day and night, never seeming to stop. To the terrorist, he was the devil incarnate…the hunter of men and gatherer of souls. He showed no mercy because he had none to offer.

This soldier was from a force called Rashtriya Rifles. And the terror he evoked was overwhelming.

I have met surrendered terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir who have been living normal lives for over a decade, doing petty businesses or jobs. But they tell me in private that even today, when they see a Rashtriya Rifles patrol pass by, they have a very strong urge to urinate.

But Kashmir is changing. Like the Rubik’s cube in the hands of an amateur, it becomes more complex with every twist and turn. The splatter of color in a Rubik’s cube is a sign of failure. Success is monochrome.

Radicalization of Kashmir was Pakistan’s idea, aided and abetted by India’s lack of imagination and unwillingness to act. Lets start with…well, a few issues.

India does not seem to have a coherent Kashmir policy. Well, if a policy is a written guideline, debated threadbare and thought through, which the state follows with at least some degree of consistency, then yes…I am right. We do not have a Kashmir policy. We are like the willow tree; we bend when the wind is fearsome. We accommodate. It is our weakness that the Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference believes that he is more powerful than the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir. I remember the time when Hurriyat men would derisively call the CM “Mayor of Srinagar”.

The most pressing issue that we are dealing with in Kashmir is mass radicalization of the population. This radicalization is a part of the Wahhabi/ Islamic State terror franchise. The impossible has happened. Security forces in Kashmir killed Mohammad Toufeeq, a resident of Telangana, a few days ago. He was a radicalized over social media and wanted to fight for the “glory of Islam” along with his brothers. This is exactly what Pakistan wanted all along. And we are still having debates on whether ISIS is present in Kashmir or not.

To counter this intense radicalization, we must understand that creating new Rashtriya Rifles battalions is not a solution. An idea can only be countered by an idea. This idea has two parts.

Part one is to create a narrative around Kashmir – past, present and future. This narrative must be aggressively pushed in social and mainstream media.

Educate people on the truth of the UN Resolutions on Kashmir. Very few people in Kashmir (and Pakistan) have read the resolutions but everyone swears by them. This must be done through short videos in Kashmiri, WhatsApp messaging and Facebook posts. Keep telling this truth. Active counter to all bogus human-rights stories in the local Kashmiri media. This must be in Kashmiri, not Hindi or English. The local media is largely compromised, singing the Hurriyat tune. We must start local FM stations, community radio stations and local TV channels to counter them, running programs that tell the truth. Run a TV channel from inside Badami Bagh Cantt. Run community radio stations across North and South Kashmir, from Army, CRPF and BSF camps. DD Kashmir is incomprehensible. Constantly and consistently expose the lifestyles of Hurriyat leaders, other separatists and their relatives, especially those settled abroad. Let Kashmiris know what these so-called “azaadi ke deewane” do when they visit New Delhi, especially in a certain bungalow in Greater Kailash Part 2, and in a five star hotel in Gurgaon, which is bang on NH. Tell Kashmiris the truth about Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Also share with them stories written by Pakistanis about how Kashmiri freedom fighters in PoK are beaten to death by ISI and how entire families are “disappeared”. Tell them about the reputation of Pakistan in the Islamic world, its bankruptcy and its scant disregard of its own Constitution and elected leaders. There are Pakistani citizens in Dubai and London who have been tortured and then expelled from Pakistan by ISI for simply asking questions. Arrange for meetings between them and Kashmiri youth. Expose, with proof, the fake human rights racket that is flourishing in Kashmir and in certain parts of New Delhi. Takes names. Give addresses. Share bank account details, including photos of boarding passes of flights to Dubai and further to Islamabad. When Kashmir was forcibly partitioned after the 1947-48 war, the language spoken on both sides of the ceasefire line (LoC) was Kashmiri, at least in the Valley area. Now, the main language of PoK is Punjabi and Punjabis form the largest ethnic group. Where have all the Kashmiris of PoK gone? This must be part of the narrative.

Part two is to rapidly de-radicalize the Kashmiri youth. The following steps can be taken. This is by no means a comprehensive list. It is merely a starting point.

Arrange for live debates between Kashmiri Imams/ Maulvis with Deobandi Imams. Let them know that in Islam, Jihad must be sanctioned by a state that is truly Islamic. If not, that so-called Jihad is treachery. Similarly, quote Islamic scripture to discredit Pakistan’s role in Kashmir. Send a group of Kashmiri youth to Deoband to study Islam. I have spoken to Deobandi Islamic scholars and at least three of them have told me that this so-called Kashmiri “Jihad” is a scam and anti-Islamic. The world is divided to Dar-ul-Harb (house of war) and Dar-ul-Aman (house of peace). If a Muslim can follow his religion freely, without pressure, that land is Dar-ul-Aman. India is an example. If a Muslim cannot follow Islam freely and is subjected to torture and oppression due to his religion, that land is Dar-ul Harb. China is an example. This must be explained. Pakistan, a self-professed Islamic Republic, looks the other way when Chinese Uighur Muslims are targets of state terror and killing. Pakistan does not speak for them, because it accepts money from China. Kashmiris must ask why Pakistan supports China, a country in which Muslims may not pray or keep fast during Ramzan, where beards are forbidden and Maulvis are forced to dance to retro-Chinese rock music. Offer namaz openly and you are sent to re-education camps. Start an IPL team for J&K. It will be a masterstroke, trust me. The truth is that Kashmiris are crazily talented. And they have the wrong heroes. Each town must have at least a dozen cricket clubs. Let them compete for lavish prizes. Get the teams touring all over India, playing with state level teams. Arrest and file cases against Maulvis and Imams who preach violence. The courts must punish them and the sentences must be minimum 15 years of jail outside J&K. There may be temporary unrest and some stone pelting. Understandable and acceptable. Once you have put a few dozen of these rancid Maulvis in jail, the message will go out clearly to everyone. Ban funeral of terrorists. There is no need to hand over dead bodies of terrorists to their families. No bodies, no funeral gatherings and no Kashmiri politicians to play vulture politics. Puncture this fake narrative of perceived victimhood. Healthy and gainfully employed Kashmiris have been made to believe that they are victims. This leads to greater acceptance of radical messaging.

Operation Sadhbhavna is bearing dividends, but it must be expanded through the civil administration. I suspect that Indian Army does Op Sadhbhavna in Kashmir for the same reason it builds bridges in Mumbai and pulls out little children from bore wells across India; no other department or agency can plan and execute with the speed, efficiency and transparency of the Indian Army. This is the truth. And this is also the reason why there is no incentive for others to pull their own weight. The army is happy to help and it is the army’s duty to help. But the Indian Army is a sword, not a spade or a shovel.

The Indian Army entered Kashmir because the local administration had failed. For normalcy to return, locals must have faith in the local administration and police. For that, urgent structural reforms are a must. J&K Police is a highly effective force, but poorly paid. Their officers are brave and regularly display commendable leadership. They live in the shadow of danger, but they are amongst the most shabbily treated. This must be the first thing to change. Finally, law and order is a state subject and the J&K Police can only step up if we support it. Housing, proper pay, pensions, social recognition, medical and life insurance, decent uniforms, training, documentation and morale building are immediate requirements. Policemen must know that in the event they are martyred, their families will be taken care of. They must believe that the color of a martyr’s uniform is irrelevant. They must believe that they are not expendable.

Finally, we must have a robust and time bound plan in place to bring back Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley. Without them, Kashmir would be like a body without a soul. It is hypocritical for people of the Valley to seek justice, when they would deny the same justice to the Pandits. To do so would be “munaafqat”, expressly forbidden in Islam. I am against Pandits living in fortified camps, which are just better jails. The perpetrators must be punished, not the victims.

The exodus of the Jews took place 2500 years ago. For two and a half millennia, Jews would gather every Yom Kippur in whichever corner of the world they were, raise a toast and take a vow “Next year in Jerusalem”.

No one should suffer like the Jews did. And Kashmir will never be paradise without the Kashmiri Pandits.

With all humility, I raise my glass in a toast, “Next year in Kashmir”.

Major Gaurav Arya (Veteran)

17th Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment

Indian Army

#MajorGauravArya #NextYearInKashmir #IndianArmy #adgpi

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