Pulwama — Have We Learnt The Lesson?

“The dangerous clashes of future are likely to arise from the interaction of Western arrogance, Islamic intolerance and Sinic assertiveness”   - Samuel P Huntington’ February 14th, the date, no longer represents just another day for those of us who have worn the uniform; it is a solemn reminder of the cost we bear for ensuring the safety and security of our Nation! Seven years have passed since the smoke cleared on National Highway 44 at Lethpora, yet the echoes of that afternoon remain a defining pivot for India’s national security calculus.

The Pulwama attack was not just a tragedy for the martyrs, or even for their unfortunate families alone; it was a glaring audit of our tactical vulnerabilities and a precursor to a strategic shift which was too late in coming for those 40 Bravehearts! As a soldier who has spent decades navigating the complexities of insurgency, I believe anniversaries must be more than rituals of remembrance - they must, instead, be sessions of cold, hard and brutal introspection. The 2019 attack gave us harsh lessons that must never allow us relaxing back into complacency. When we analyse the event through a military lens, we see a failure of collective imagination as much as a failure of intelligence.

Intelligence- Action Gap

I have learnt over the years that though intelligence is rarely “perfect,” the ability to act upon specific patterns is important. We tend to get overwhelmed by a surfeit of vague, repetitive and generalised intelligence inputs and something serious gets missed. Before Pulwama, the threat of a suicide car bombing was often relegated to the “low probability” category and a large  force was thought the best way to deter a terrorist attack. We learned, to our dismay and horror, that sheer numbers of boots on the ground can sometimes create “target-rich environment.”  Road opening and convoy movements have to be synchronized with aerial surveillance and localized tech-intel. The lesson here was clear: mass does not equal security; sanitisation, mobility and unpredictability do.

 Myth of “Surgical” Finality

 Balakot strikes in the aftermath of Pulwama terrorist attack demonstrated a new political will, signalling that India refuses to be restrained by the old concept of “strategic restraint.” However, seven years later, we have learned that kinetic responses can only be an immediate punishment, not a permanent cure. We have had many big and small terrorist incidents since; and then we had Pahalgam! Terrorism  has turned insidious; a decentralized threat involving ‘faceless’ attackers, many with no prior police records. This shift proves that while we can destroy launchpads across, the ideological firewalls must be built within!

Logistic Support System

In my days of fighting insurgency it was routine to move on foot for operations due to the ever present threat of an ambush or an IED attack. Of course that involved only a few hours of walk every other night, and it cannot be resorted to for hundreds of kilometres and for thousands of soldiers and heavy logistic requirements!

Any road passing through populated areas, while a lifeline, is also a jugular vein that requires constant, high-tech monitoring. The transition to increased air movement was a direct, albeit delayed, outcome of Pulwama. Having a strong security capability also means supporting our men on ground by ensuring sound and safe logistics!

Reversing Brainwashing 

The law on CAA, abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into Union Territories were big political steps aimed at breaking stranglehold of the fundamentalist mindset over the ‘System’ ruling the State. From a strategic perspective, these moves were intended to dismantle the ecosystem that sustained secessionism. To be fair, there were tangible gains during the Governor’s Rule; crackdown on the financial and logistic pipelines of militancy made it significantly harder for terror groups to operate on the scale they did in the previous decades. However, effects of continuous ideological brainwashing over last 40 years are very difficult to erase. This cannot be effected in hurry, and I am afraid may never get fully overcome unless thoughtful, impartial and honest efforts are consistently made. The separatist leadership has to be comprehensively neutralised and their source code shut down lest we keep suffering newer, more insidious and better networked foot soldiers of jihad.

 Security of the state has to remain the overriding, prime duty and main focus of the central govt, yet keeping other municipal functions in mind. Holding of elections to the UT Assembly of J&K,  in the eagerness to showcase return to normalcy, to my mind, has been rather counterproductive!

Not by Force Alone

A soldier’s eye always looks beyond the glossy brochures of development and attractive political blueprint. We must ask: At what cost, and with what level of sustainability?

 Pulwama Anniversary should remind us to accept that outside vested interests  have  long meddled in and it is not only the question of hearts and minds of the locals! Insidious campaigns have since long been initiated for achieving political aims of few families. However, the instrument has gone out of control of their masters, has become a self-sustaining virus and has to be dealt with clinically - with prolonged treatment. As a security professional, far removed from politics, I recommend that we be:

1.Firm on the Border: Zero tolerance for infiltration and a continued high-tech upgrade of our LC defences.

2.Clear in the Interior: Focus must always be maintained on security with adequate efforts to de-radicalise the youth. Systematic dismantling of the extremist propaganda machinery has to be undertaken with a humane approach to make life better for the masses without mindless pampering.

3.Clean in the Execution: I have always had a suspicion which got substantiated during various exposures that the pathetic social and security situation existing in J&K has been greatly facilitated by monumental corruption of the elite, at the grass root level, and in fact at every level in-between! If we want results from our sincere endeavours, the corrupt have to be taken out - a system where power results from pleasing your constituents and allowing your subordinates to skim the cream cannot deliver!

4.Inclusive in the Capital: Democratic process in J&K has been started and a keen vigil has to be maintained to ensure it is not hijacked by the very same ‘system’ which created the divide in the first place!  Ladakh issue has also to be handled with care; statutory protections to ensure the region remains a bastion of Indian sovereignty must be carefully considered.

The Best Tribute

We can honour the martyrs of Pulwama by ensuring a secure India where the people in remote border villages feel as much a stakeholder as the city-dwellers. J&K and Ladakh are not just strategic chessboards or electoral talking points; they are homes to people whose loyalty has been tested by fire. The uniform provides the shield, but only the lawmaker can provide the heart. On this anniversary, let us commit to a strategy that is as compassionate as it is firm, ensuring that the blood soaked soil sprouts a peace that is both just and enduring. While being aware of adverse outside influences, let us listen to the ground before we move the mountains!

The writer is a Major General and has been decorated with Sena Medal; views are personal