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Disinformation leading Kashmiris astray:BEWARE OF PAK’s DIABOLICAL INTENT,By Proloy Bagchi,12 Aug 16 Print E-mail

Open Forum

New Delhi, 12 August, 2016

Disinformation leading Kashmiris astray

BEWARE OF PAK’s DIABOLICAL INTENT

By Proloy Bagchi

 

The Indian Army’s presence in Kashmir is a “most brutal and deceptive occupations of modern times”, avers a recent article in Outlook magazine. Certainly, this is a point of view, after all, in a free country everybody including Kashmiris have right to air their opinions regardless of the shade they represent.

However, describing the Indian presence in Kashmir as “occupation” is unquestionably a travesty of facts. Perhaps, this was said either out of sheer ignorance of the State’s recent history or a deliberate effort to mislead the reading public.

Undoubtedly, there can be numerous opinions on what the Indian security force are doing in Kashmir. The perspectives always differ depending on the side one is on. But one thing needs to be realized: The Army is functioning in Kashmir as a part of its duty to the country and Kashmir is a part of the country.

Indeed, to suggest that it is an “occupation” army is an utter falsehood as the country never fought a war against Kashmir and it was never conquered by India.

Alas, that part of history is never mentioned and blinkered commentators never try to dig and bring this before the Kashmiri common man thereby failing to disabuse his mind of the wrong propaganda by vested interests.

At the risk of repetition, one has to bring home to the Kashmiris that the question of merging with Pakistan or enjoying “aazadi” was decided once and for all almost 70 years ago. Whereby, the then Indian Government played fair and absolutely by the rule.

It is recorded history that the late Maharaja Hari Singh was toying with the idea of remaining independent after India’s partition. His procrastinations made Pakistan under Jinnah impatient who organized a raid on Kashmir by tribal warriors, ably assisted by Pakistani regulars and irregulars.

Threatened by Pakistan, the Maharaja requested for Kashmir’s accession to the Indian State. The Indian Government refused to accept the request until the Maharaja obtained the consent of his people’s representatives. The most popular Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdullah was then languishing in jail. The Maharaja consulted him and he whole-heartedly supported the move to merge with India.

But, in the process a lot of time was lost wherein the raiders were almost at the threshold of Srinagar. With herculean efforts and enormous sacrifices the Indian Army pushed the raiders out of the Valley which had by then become Indian territory.

Hence, this is how Kashmir became an Indian State and not a territory occupied by India after waging a war. Describing the Indian Army as an “occupation” army, therefore, is not only false, it is also sinister and seditious.

Perhaps, in this respect the Indian Administration as well as the State Administration failed to inculcate in the Kashmiri people the urge to see the truth. Consequently, Pakistan-inspired chaos and mayhem instigated by its ISI or its proxies from time to time has incited Kashmiris to take an anti-pathetic, even hostile attitude towards the Indian security forces as it is in the interest of Pakistan.

Importantly, Kashmiris need to remember that if terrorists infiltrating from across the Line of Control are instigating them to cause disorder and confusion the security forces would not be sitting on their haunches to watch the show. They have the duty to deal with them as effectively as they can even if meticulously collected brick-sized stones are hurled at them by the maddened, unthinking young men who are victims of whipped-up emotions. 

Sadly, Kashmiris seem to have forgotten that it was Pakistan which made three attempts to annex Kashmir and every time it was rebuffed by the Indian forces. The first attempt was in 1947 when Pakistan tried to grab Kashmir by force and succeeded in capturing half of it. That too, because of the puerile and immature policies of the then Prime Minister Nehru.

The second was in 1965 when Pakistan President Ayub Khan designed Operation Gibraltar was rendered a failure by Kashmiris who exposed and handed over the Pakistani infiltrators sent across the border to engineer an insurgency in the Valley.

Then came the 1971 war resulting in the Simla Accord. Since then Pakistan has been relentlessly trying somehow to dislodge India from Kashmir. It unsuccessfully tried again in 1998 during the Kargil War.

Undeniably, the ongoing turbulence is another effort to lead the Kashmiris astray so that they work up enough loathing for India to weaken its hold on the State.

Needless to say, Pakistan is doing all this notwithstanding the terrorist attacks it is facing from Taliban. Having sown terror, it is now reaping terror. Yet, when militant Burhan Wani was killed on last month, Pakistan declared him a martyr and 8 July was affirmed as Black Day.

Moreover, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assured the Kashmiris of his help till Kashmir became a part of Pakistan. Even during Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s brief visit to Islamabad for the SAARC conference protest rallies were organized and the Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba Chief incessantly spewed venom pledging support to Kashmiri resistance. The Hizbul Chief admitted it had 1000 militants operating in the Kashmir Valley.

It is a pity that many of the Kashmiris actively participating in agitations against their own police and Central security forces have not read National Security Advisor AS Dulat’s book “Kashmir – the Vajpayee years”. In fact, some of the quotes by militants would surely act as eye openers for those who have become extremely allergic to India and trying to subvert the Administration.

An interesting quote is by the hijacker of the Indian Airlines flight in 1971 Hashim Qureishy: “Hurriyat people should give up accession to Pakistan, as should our people. Sixty five years have passed, another 500 years will pass, but Kashmir will never become Pakistan. You can write it down... and people, (you) don't sacrifice your children.”

Another militant Abdul Majeed Dar was so disillusioned with the ISI that not only did he contrive to come back to Kashmir but also refused to take its calls. Obviously, the ISI didn't want to let go him and eventually had him killed.

An assistant of leading separatist leader Shabir Shah, Firdaus, told Dulat that each and every Kashmiri he met in Pakistan felt they were in an alien land. They also advised him to never merge Kashmir in Pakistan. When, he was denied SAM missiles by the ISI. Firdaus realised that the ISI was not interested in escalating the proxy war and was not interested in the fact that the “Kashmiris had gone all out to fight their dirty war”.

Therefore, Kashmiris need to pay heed to these extremists’ nuggets as they tell all there is to know about Pakistan’s diabolical intentions. Hopefully, wisdom will dawn on those who have fallen prey to its mischievous disinformation and propaganda and are needlessly wasting away their lives. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

 

 

 

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