Page8.Qxd (Page 1)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Excelsior Established 1965 Heed the Chief's warning Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Harsha Kakar active militants, of which over 350 are operating thus eliminating them along with the structure, Farooq Abdullah at a NC party event in Srinagar North of the PirPanjal. Interference during opera- while reducing casualties to own forces. This and Congress Veteran P Chidambaram are cases he recent comments by the Chief of Army tions is more pronounced in South Kashmir, than approach did cause hardships to the local popula- in point. Most others criticizing the army chief are Traffic jams on NH Staff (COAS),General Bipin Rawat,on in any other part of the state. tion as it destroyed their meagre households. In the doing so fearing a return of the summer of 2016. Tstern action against those interrupting anti- A combination of the above factors has present context, a prolonged operation, with the However, for security forces, the options remain assive traffic jams are reported on National militancy operations, led to debates in every form increased casualties to security forces, which is aim of flushing militants out without damaging limited, they must battle on, ensuring destruction of media, with most liberals, activists and politi- detrimental to morale and can induce additional dwellings is likely to be impacted by mob inter- of anti-national elements, irrespective of com- Highway from Jammu to Srinagar. This is cians from opposition parties, decrying his com- the key link for the three regions of the caution, which is undesirable. Conversely, it ference, which could enable their escape or ments or discussions in the media. M ments. Articles in magazines and newspapers emboldens militants and enhances their support increase casualties to security forces. Thus, secu- It is therefore more prudent to adopt a firm State particularly Kashmir and Ladakh. In fact it is adversely commented on his statement, suggest- base. The ambush on security forces a few days rity forces may be compelled to once again resort stance now and seek to restore the situation before the life line of the State. Normally, this life line ing that this attitude would alienate locals and re- ago, resulting in three deaths and five injured is an to the earlier tactic of destruction rather than pre- it becomes grave in the ensuing summer. The gov- incite violence in the valley. The same critics and example of emboldened militants taking advan- vention of damage. Similar changes could become ernment needs to ignore the likes of NC leaders, should have been converted into the most crucial politicians had maintained silence when Kashmiri highway in the country keeping in mind its strategic tage of an opportunity. This situation is detrimen- the order of the day in most other nature of encoun- opposition parties and so-called liberals and crit- Pundits were hounded out of their homes and Sikhs tal for the nation as it enables Pak to gloat on the ters. ics,granting security forces more laxity to bring importance. Why that was not done for last seven- massacred, changing the demography of the val- success of its policy, while permitting it to project Inducted militants have no concern for collat- the rising levels of insurgency under ty years is a big question and speaks of intransi- ley, leading to the situation which the region J and K as a case of a home-grown terror. Anoth- eral casualties or damage. They mostly battle to control.Media commentaries and discussions have presently faces. In reality, the ground situation as gence and inefficiency of our policy planners. China er cause for worry is that the present level of mil- safeguard their own lives and escape any dragnet no relevance in matters concerning national secu- prevailing today,has amply proved the chief's crit- itancy is solely based on militants inducted pre- established by security forces. They have no rity. The state writ must run unhindered through- could build the historic Karakorum Highway con- ics wrong. We fail to realize that increased mili- winter, before passes closed. With summer around remorse or feelings towards locals and exploit out the valley. The government may need to also necting Xinjiang with Pakistan via Gilgit in a couple tancy impacts development and tourism, affecting the corner and passes opening, increased infiltra- them to further the aim of Pakistan. For security adopt a strong stance against separatists and be of years but our policy planners did not even have the general population. tion may occur, irrespective of border sealing forces, the present period is important as it aims at willing to risk the situation temporarily worsen- The army released a press statement recently the vision, leave aside building a six lane all weath- actions, only adding to pressures on security reducing the number of active militants to accept- ingbut accepting the fact that it will return to nor- stating that actions by flash mobs, including stone forces.As the level of militancy rises, it threatens able levels, prior to the onset of summers, when mal in due course. er highway that would connect Kashmir and Ladakh throwing and forcibly moving towards encounter the writ of the state, especially where it garners possibilities of enhanced infiltration could raise Mollycoddling should cease as desperate times regions to the world outside. sites, permitted over twenty-five militants, includ- local support. the tempo of operations. call for desperate measures. We as Indians should ing hardcore members of various groups, to escape As inputs of increased infiltration of militants' The critics of the COAS need to realize that the remember, that national security and national It was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who their dragnet. This was the result of extra precau- had realized the importance of this vital road link flow in, the forces deployed to deal with it also words chosen and the timing, apart from being interest are paramount and forces deployed to tions adopted to prevent collateral casualties. increases. Enhanced tempo of operations conduct- announced at a poignant moment, are a warning ensure the same must be given the authority and and approved its four lanning. But given the intrica- Another visible change, compelling security ed over prolonged periods increases chances of to the national and state leadership that unless we power to enforce it. The nation must remain unit- cies of our administrative system and the red tape, forces to alter tact, is that most encounters now collateral damage and civilian casualties. Securi- work together to control the situation now, the ed, if the designs of Pak have to be foiled and the take place in villages, indicating increased support the work of four lanning could not keep its time ty forces had discarded the use of rocket launch- coming months would only make it more difficult. writ of the nation restored across the length and to militants at local levels. Post the violent sum- ers in their conduct of operations for almost a Losing valuable lives of soldiers and civilians due breadth of the country. schedule. It has been going on at snail's pace. mer of 2016, the number of locals joining militan- decade. These were initially employed for destruc- to inciting of locals for political advantage belies (The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army) cy is also on the rise. Present assessment by intel- When it will actually become functional is a matter tion of structures where militants had taken refuge, a mature nation. The comments last week by [email protected] of surmise. Nevertheless the work is going on and ligence agencies estimate that J and K has over 450 of course rather in an unplanned way. There are Anil Anand NC, Ghulam Mohiuddin Karra some patches that are under reconstruction mean- had distanced from Sheikh. He ing widening of the road to make it of four lanes. For ilitancy apart, politics Karra's Congress-plan for Kashmir founded Political Conference of Kashmir has never post 1953. Karra had his own example, the stretches from Udhampur to Chenani been synonymous M he had vacated after falling out Farooq Abdullah-Omar close family members Ghulam Karra's quitting the murmurs of politics that would keep him tunnel or from Digdol to Ramban are under con- with stability. There have been with the Muftis, whether he Abdullah, father son duo, dom- Mohammed Sadiq was the chief dissent are being heard from away from the governance sys- occasional stints of stability struction. As the work is in progress and debris is does so or not import of his inated National Conference minister in the 1960s-70s. PDP quarters of this region that tem. But when the 1971 war led which have been marred or lying on the sides of the road, it leads to traffic jam decision could have strong which he was once briefly part Karra surely would be hav- includes some sitting MLAs. to the slicing of Pakistan, the more positively interspersed bearing on the poll outcome. of, float a new outfit or join ing some concept of how to pur- In Srinagar (central for long time. Commuters travelling from Jammu to with bouts of instability mostly impact was felt by Kashmir's There could not have been a Congress. Floating a new party sue a different stream of politics Kashmir) Congress almost has a entire leadership. Karra was not Srinagar have been complaining that instead of six the creation of political experi- more proper opportunity for seemed difficult and so was to extricate Kashmir out of the negligible presence and Karra's an exception. mentation borne out of either Karra, a former Finance and joining NC as it did not fit into current political mess while joining provides it much needed or seven hours of journey it takes them 12 to 13 Karra had an ideological individual ambitions or ideo- Planning Minister in the Mufti's his current anti-RSS thesis.

Load more