Author: V.P. Malik
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 29, 2008
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/354586.html
Introduction: At a time when the national
interest should come first, India's 'liberals' turn on their own country and
soldiers
On August 8 when Syed Ahmed Shah Geelani was
shouting pro-Pakistan and religious slogans in Srinagar, about 100 km to the
north, Colonel J. J. Thomas with his quick reaction team was trying to prevent
Pakistani terrorists from entering J&K. Thomas and his two colleagues
were killed in that encounter. The encounter was reported by a few media channels.
There was no reaction by any political leader or a civil rights activist.
Three days later, the defiant anti-national veteran and other 'Azadi' leaders
(one known for murdering air force personnel) were arrested before they could
lead another anti-national rally. Everyone screamed 'crackdown'!
This week, a young fiction-writer-turned-activist
writes that 'denial of Azadi is delusion'. She accuses India of administering
'military occupation for 18 years' and causing 'years of repression in which
tens of thousands have been killed, thousands have been disappeared, hundreds
of thousand tortured, injured, raped and humiliated'. Political leaders -
Abdullah, Muftis, Azad and their colleagues - who were elected and ruled the
state during this period and should be answering, let that accusation pass!
When our political leaders and administrators convert a 40 hectares land dispute
into a 'secession' issue in 60 days and award-winning romantic authors rabidly
endorse that, I feel it is time to introspect India's nationhood and governance.
There is too much political infighting and
too little political consensus. We are a divided house in almost all essential
policies including those of economic development, diplomacy and security.
Long-term strategic thinking and the social and political will and determination
to set things right eludes us in the kind of coalition politics and governance
that exists today.
That the crisis in J&K is a result of
crass political opportunism, naivety and administrative procrastination, if
not slumber, is well known. The governor, Congress, PDP and NC leaders tried
to gain vote banks over the temporary allotment of 40 hectares near Baltal.
All of them are sidelined today because the secessionists have taken over
the situation. The BJP and some other radical Hindus supported the Shri Amarnath
Samiti in Jammu. They have not only lost control of the latter but also considerable
credibility with young generation in India.
The naïve political leaders exhorted
people to agitate, which resulted in violation of law and order, destruction
of public property, chukka jams, economic blockade, and even physical assault
on policemen. When the secessionist elements took control, the nation witnessed
shouting of anti-India, pro-Pakistan and Azadi slogans, people hoisting Pakistan
flags, attempts to cross LoC and so on.
And now, how easy it is for some political
leaders, civil rights activists and media persons to shout and discuss secession?
Do these people have any idea of the social, political, strategic and economic
consequences of secession? If India had followed so called 'liberal' advice
in the past, we would have not only said good-bye to most parts of India but
also created political and economic instability in the region that is frightening
to imagine. At the politico-strategic level, one requires a long memory and
longer foresight. Unfortunately, people like this are great favourites of
TV chat shows and magazines who want to prove their liberal outlook and win
media awards. India's national interest and strategies are offered instant
options! Margaret Thatcher, who said that 'publicity is like oxygen' seems
passé now.
After messing up the 40 hectare issue, some
political leaders, and even administrators responsible for the weak governance
are now trying to recover political space by making a scapegoat of the security
personnel, raising new issues like demilitarisation and removal of top cops
from the scene. It is so easy in India. When security forces personnel waiting
in the bunkers for the next round of sentry duty or a quick reaction call
read or watch this, they wonder why the government is risking their lives
defending the LoC and fighting terrorists. Are they expendable? Why are they
deployed during such agitations if law and order is not required to be maintained?
I have sworn to the Constitution; I am liberal and have always believed that
excessive and prolonged use of army for internal security is neither good
for the country nor for the army. I also know the rules of engagement in such
situations and do not condone aberrations. And I do not accept innocent soldiers
being made scapegoats for others' follies or in angry writing.
India's problem is that nationalism and patriotism
are forgotten words today. As in our historical past, we remain inward-looking,
fixing each other rather than the outsiders. Ernest Renan wrote, "What
constitutes a nation is not speaking the same tongue, or belonging to the
same religion or ethnic group, but having accomplished great things in common
in the past, and the wish to accomplish them again in future." We, the
people of India need to pursue our national interests collectively and passionately,
whatever the cost. In the interest of Indian nationalism, regional and communal
identities and diversities have to be underplayed, not over-emphasised. We
need to be realists; not moralists or pessimists.
The writer is a former Chief of Army Staff
and associated with Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
