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Identify evident threats

Young Bites. Dated: 8/19/2017 10:58:52 AM

While the military defended the frontiers, civilians became victims. Their belief in the protective power of the nation was shaken. This holds true for the natives and the visitors, and even migrant labourers who constructed homes of Kashmiris, while braving the elements in extreme weather conditions. National security in the state revolved around protecting the borders, especially with Pakistan, which fought three wars over the territory that it feels is its “jugular vein” and “unfinished agenda” of the Partition of 1947. Pakistan could not tolerate J&K becoming the legal part of India by virtue of the Instrument of Accession signed by the last Dogra king, Maharaja Hari Singh in October, 1947. The state’s security concerns were assuaged by India by sending its troops at the request of the Maharaja because it was Pakistan that launched the tribal invasion of Kashmir, with the active assistance of its regular soldiers. That’s history and its subsequent acts, covert and overt to get Kashmir widened our security concerns and the Army became a pivot. The fundamental obligation of the security strategy, that is owning people of all regions and religions and protecting them from external and internal assaults, however, remains partly addressed. Kashmiri Hindus, who had to migrate in the 1990s have not returned to their homeland and are refugees in their own country. Pro-India forces feel insecure. The State used “rebel of rebels” to reduce the graph of militancy but then left them to be killed by their enemies. Therefore, the size of the pro-India constituency has diminished. Politics and national security has been a buyer-seller game. There are leaders who sold themselves and buyers hoped that they would bring stability and peace. Whenever unacceptable players appeared on the scene with popular support, they were shown the door, in national interest. This game of combinations and permutations continues and is inflicting damage to society. We must recognize the multiplication of threats. India is now squeezed between the un-demarcated Line of Actual Control with China and the aggressive posturing of Pakistan that has resorted to gun fire and mortar shelling on the border and Line of Control. It has pushed infiltration and helped the locals to raise a banner of revolt once again. As is usual, the Indian response has been calculated on what Pakistan has done and what it could do, completely overlooking the internal factors which have bled Kashmir.