Army chief does well to warn Pakistani troops
Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh's warning that his men will not follow rules along the line of Control in case the Pakistani Army personnel flout them, and that they will be fittingly reciprocal in the eventuality of unprovoked attacks, should warm the hearts of Indians who are fed up of the Centre's meekness in the face of recent violations of the ceasefire agreement by Pakistani troops. Although the Government of India, under pressure from the people and the Opposition, did reluctantly speak tough over the violations, the general impression has been that our Armed Forces have been restricted by unwritten political directives to go soft. It is evident from Gen Singh's statements that the Army is in no mood to take things lying down any longer. Also, it is not prepared to vacate Jammu & Kashmir till such time threats to internal security from elements within the State and from across the border continue to exist. The Army chief's remarks come in the backdrop of repeated attempts by sections of the political establishment, that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act should be withdrawn from the State in a supposed bid to win over the hearts of the locals in Kashmir and to demonstrate what is euphemistically called “participative democracy”. Given the grim situation that prevails in the State, there is no question of revisiting the decision either of continuing with the Army's presence there or the withdrawal of AFSPA which helps the security forces to battle terror without being overly fettered. Those who continue to make such demands — including prominent mainstream politicians, besides the separatists in the Kashmir valley — fail to understand the security implications. They also don't seem to take into consideration that terrorist activities could be revived in a big way in the State with the impending withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan. The issue is far too complex to invite simplistic solutions that the anti-AFSPA elements have been offering.
The need for the Army to not just maintain its presence but also perhaps enhance it, becomes all the more important given the churning that is taking place within the Hurriyat Conference sections led by hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the more moderate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and others. The possibility of a formal split in the Hurriyat umbrella and the birth of a new outfit that will hopefully take a more realistic view of the contentious issues and seek solutions with the framework of the Constitution of India, could lead to a violent backlash in the valley by the hardline elements. The resulting unrest coupled with the increased vigour of infiltrators in the coming months of summer will make for a dangerous cocktail. It's time that opponents of the AFSPA and the doves that believe sweet talk will win over Islamabad and its Army, do a reality check. The Army, and not they, is the best judge of the ground situation.