Author: Brigadier Arun
Publication: Meri News
Date: September 9, 2010
URL: http://www.merinews.com/article/dilute-afspa-and-loose-kashmir/15830239.shtml
This is a time tested Act which has brought
peace to Punjab, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura. Even Supreme Court has upheld
this Act. That is why at the behest of the insurgents there has been constant
din to take away this act.
IT WAS all over news channels on September,
8, 2010 that our 'Saffron Terror' fame Home Minister of India, PC Chidambaram,
who also has the now defunct anti-Naxal Operation Green Hunt to his credit,
is at it again. This time it is Army at the receiving end. Our worthy home
minister is bent upon diluting Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) Act.
If this comes through then let us bid goodbye to Kashmir and may be a large
part of North East India as well.
It is being said that even Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is in favor of
this dilution. All this is being done to win the hearts and minds of the people
of the Kashmir Valley which constitutes just 40 percent area of J&K State
and 12 districts. What is so special of the hearts and minds of the Valley
people?
What about the hearts and minds of people of other states of India? The long
neglected tribal people or for that matter the people of Jammu And Ladakh
region of J&K State. This constitutes 60 percent area of the state of
the J&K. Jammu and Ladakh region harbor a deep grouse that the J&K
Government in the valley meets out step brotherly treatment to them.
The people of the Kashmir Valley and their separatists leaders have perfected
the art of playing the Pakistan card. Every time they raise the ante, the
Government of India comes rushing with some new package to buy peace. This
time these separatists in league with the radical preachers have been inciting
the youth of the Valley that Azadi is just round the corner. All that is needed
is some sacrifice.
Indian leaders instead of firmly telling them that Azadi is never possible,
played in their hands by offering autonomy. Instead of placing the valley
under Presidents rule for the duration of six months, putting all these so
called separatists leaders behind bars and bringing the valley to normal we
allowed things to linger on till the situation is now going out of hand. Now
these politicians want to tinker with the very Act which has ensured that
Kashmir Valley remains part of India.
The separatist leaders of the Valley confabulate openly with Pakistani leaders
but refuse to talk to Indian leaders. Since Kashmir is part of India so why
are they allowed to do this? Need of the hour is development in Kashmir and
more jobs for the youth. This will be possible only if the youth are made
to understand that if they want rest of India to accept them then they must
also accept India as their motherland. This is a two way traffic. Nobody can
have the cake and eat it too.
Pakistan, whom the Hurriat leader Geelani wants the Valley people to join,
its Army in April this year used tanks, fighter aircrafts and heavy guns against
its own citizens in curbing the insurgency in Swat Valley that is adjacent
to Kashmir Valley. There was collateral damage to civilian property. Two lakh
Pakistanis were displaced. Pakistani Army has now invited Chinese Army to
place their 10000 troops in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and curb the revolt
there.
Indian Army has never used weapons bigger than rifle in fighting insurgency
in Kashmir at the great cost of life and limb. So what is all this ruckus
of AFSPA being in human. Incidentally this Act was enacted by Indian Parliament
in 1958 when India had very tall and honest political leaders. Then the Prime
Minister was Pundit Jawaharlal Lal Nehru. He would never would have allowed
this act to be passed if it was inhuman.
This is a time tested Act which has brought peace to Punjab, Mizoram, Assam
and Tripura. Even Supreme Court has upheld this Act. That is why at the behest
of the insurgents there has been constant din to take away this act.
This removal of AFSPA is not going to buy peace for Indian Netas. Government
will only weaken itself and will squander all the good work done by the security
forces. The demand of Azadi will become more shrill in the time to come. Dilution
of this time tested Act will be even worse. Army is the last resort. If it
fails then the country will break.
Realizing this the Indian Parliament passed this Armed Forces Special Powers
Act in 1958.At that time there were no Jehadis, no Naxals, no human bombs
and no AK-47 or AK-56 rifles. The destructive technology had also not developed
to the level that a single terrorist could cause great collateral damage as
they do now. Besides the only armed rebellion India faced was in Nagaland
and Mizoram. Even Supreme Court of India has upheld this Act in their judgment
on 27 Nov 1997.So why dilute now when law and order problems in the country
have gone from bad to worse?
When the tall politicians of India of those days enacted this Act in Indian
Parliament they never wanted this act to have human face. They desired this
Act to be a deterrent. They were sure of their own governing capability and
were confident that Army will seldom be required to work in internal security
duties, this job being basically of Indian Police.
Today, Army is deployed in J&K, Manipur,
Assam, and Nagaland. But for the resistance from Army, our current political
class would have deployed them against Naxals also with no questions asked.
No wonder they want this act to be diluted. After all the elections also have
to be won. Now they want to place the blame on Army, let the country go to
dogs.
Need of the hour is not to dilute this time tested Act but withdraw army from
the Valley. Let Omar Abdullah and his police deal with the problem. This is
what Abdullah also wants. The Army should confine itself to guarding the borders
of the country.
It is a fact that politicians of this country have frittered away the hard
earned advantages earned through sacrifices by Armed Forces due to shortsightedness,
lack of vision, ignoring advise of military commanders and for vote bank politics.
The history is again repeating itself.
A peep in the past brings out that in 1962 Army were told to throw the Chinese
out, when army was busy in construction project AMAR and UFs making coffee
machines, in 1965 Haji Peer pass was given back, in 1971, 93000 PsOW were
returned without any bargain. Now AFPSA is being diluted.
