Infuse fresh blood into Kashmir’s bureaucracy

MISSING IDOL : Kashmiri youth have no real heroes to focus on.

THE deluge of writing in the media on the death of Burhan Wani, the young Kashmiri terrorist from Tral, and the subsequent violence that has spewed into the streets in a near 2010-like situation is actually a phenomenon which often occurs. The unfortunate thing is that it does only when such incidents take place. With so much already written, my approach here is to project the usually unknown facts which can only be gleaned once you are there with the Kashmiri people. Has it ever occurred to people in Delhi that the lofty Pir Panjal range is a psychological barrier to all communication to and from Kashmir? It used to hit me very often as I flew out of Srinagar. In Delhi, my thinking would change, returning to its normal Kashmir orientation the moment I flew past the range. It may sound exaggerated, but is the nearest to the truth of a phenomenon most may never understand. What is perceived in Delhi is perceived differently in Srinagar by whosoever he is. For those in Delhi, there has to be a deliberate attempt to understand what happens in Kashmir. The first of the lessons which must dawn on them is that communication is the key to the issue. That is where we fail miserably because everyone here thinks he knows Kashmir; no one is willing to listen and change his mind. This is why I stated during a TV panel discussion that in the last six months, not once have I attended a round-table discussion, or a seminar, on Kashmir. I attend one on diverse subjects almost every other day. No one feels it is important to understand Kashmir and that is the reason why a strategy has failed to evolve. Communication is the core of the desired strategy and the means to execute this cannot be left to a couple of well-meaning bureaucrats, policemen, or Army men. They can all do their bit, but within limits. Where India has failed is the intellectual application of mind to the sponsored proxy conflict in Kashmir. Burhan Wani is only the symptom which helps attract attention when it is flagging. It is the attention which has been lacking and the strategic and intellectual community is very largely to blame for this.How many would actually know that Kashmir’s youth lacks inspiration because it has no heroes to focus on? That is why a Burhan Wani comes along and captures their attention. This generation has grown under the shadow of the gun, in an environment of checkposts, sometimes five in a distance of 50 km. The ills of a conflict zone on the psyche of a population can only be realised once you are there. Angst and alienation is a natural outcome. No one ever steps back to deliberate upon a curious fact. Tral, the village to which Burhan belonged, and one which carries the most negative perception in the eyes of security practitioners, has sent hundreds into the ranks of terrorists. Not known is that it has also sent hundreds into the ranks of the JAK LI, the Indian Army regiment of which one of the highest profile units does service at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. They are all fiercely loyal and patriotic soldiers. A strange phenomenon, indeed. When I set out to examine this fact in 2011, I interacted frequently with almost 500 young, and mostly educated, Kashmiri youth at different places. Given a chance to vent their angst against the nation, against the system and against me, I absorbed their abuse, but when I met them informally over tea, almost everyone of them had only one enquiry — how they could be enabled to join the Indian Army? I often reflect on this experience and deduced that the psyche of the Kashmiri youth has never been studied and acted upon. Suitably engaged with a communication strategy that understands their limitations and empathises with them, gives them the opportunity to speak instead of talking down to them and listens to it all, may work towards drawing them away from the negativity which is a part of their every day lives.The negative psyche has also provided psychological space to extremist religious ideology to set in, against which we need more refined answers than simply cliched responses of counter-radicalisation measures. We knew all along that Islamic radicalism was finding its place in Kashmiri society, but never really concerned ourselves with finding the counter to it. We need to do it more urgently than ever and it’s even more difficult today.It’s not the youth alone that needs engagement, but every segment of Kashmiri society, and that includes the other major stakeholders — the Kashmiri Pandits. We need all Kashmiris together rather than engaging separately because, ultimately, if normalcy has to return, they have to live together. The separate engagement only encourages each to speak against the other and does no good to either cause.Let us get some fresh blood into Kashmir’s bureaucracy and administration. It will be some time before the outstanding young Kashmiri men and women, who have in recent years joined the Indian  Civil Services, come to occupy positions of prominence. I have all praise for the existing senior members, but they need fresh thinking; the approach is too stilted and needs energy and innovation. My simple advice — give Kashmir two comfortable winters in terms of logistics, administration and daily life and see the mindsets change.Lastly, at different places and times I have repeated ad nauseum that solutions to problems seldom come from within the government. The officials remain too busy, have no continuity and are simply too careful about their careers. Solutions come from independent or even semi-independent institutions and from uncluttered minds. They don’t also come from one-off committees such as interlocutors, but from continuous study and monitoring of the situation and institutional memory. Since it is communication, or the lack of it, that we have identified as the major concern not only in the case of Kashmir, but equally of the Northeast, and of the growing problem of radicalism, all this comes under the scope of strategic communication strategy. There is an urgent need for a multi-discipline body at the highest level to evaluate the current problems, suggest ways and oversee implementation. National problems require national-level solutions and a body akin to the UPSC is what I can suggest over any idea of a body such as the Minorities Commission or the National Integration Council.— The writer is a Senior Fellow with the Delhi Policy Group

CASH CRUNCH The army is crippled by a lack of basic necessities, shortage of critical weapons and ammunition and bureaucratic tangle holding up purchases

The strike corps is absolutely necessary to upgrade India’s strategy against China… The government must make no compromise with the planned strength and funds required BRIG GURMEET KANWAL (RETD) Army has 3,500 snipers but only a handful of them can pass the standard test of taking a head-shot at 600 metres and a body-shot at 1,000 metres in the first shot… the army’s training is flawed LT GEN HS PANAG (RETD)

NEW DELHI: The army’s surgical strikes against militants at launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir demonstrated India’s hardened military resolve to the world.

HT FILEUncertainty surrounds two ongoing tenders for 44,600 carbines and 4,097 light machine guns as in both cases, only a lone vendor has met the army’s requirements.

The targeted operations behind enemy lines were carried out by India’s toughest fighting men — commandos from the elite special forces — and the daring move has already won accolades from political leaders and civil society alike.

But dig a little deeper and things aren’t as rosy for the world’s secondlargest army. The country may be surrounded by hostile Pakistan and China but its army is crippled by a lack of basic necessities, shortage of critical weapons and ammunition and bureaucratic tangle holding up purchases.

Forget the big stuff, even the small details are amiss. Sample this: For years, generals have complained that the orange stock and butt of the 5.56mm INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) rifle compromises the camouflage of soldiers. But several attempts to get the rifle’s colour changed have failed.

“The rifle’s orange colour puts soldiers at risk,” says lieutenant general BS Jaswal (retd), a former northern army commander.

He recalls several failed attempts to get the rifle in a combat colour during his stints as director general (infantry) and northern army commander from 2007-10.

That’s not all. In a private conversation, a senior army officer recalls how an infantry unit deployed in the Northeast a few years ago bought sandbags from its own funds to protect soldiers housed in tents.

The men, he says, were vulnerable to night strikes, similar to the one that left 18 soldiers dead in Uri last week: Fourteen of them were burnt alive after incendiary ammunition used by militants set their tents ablaze.

The sandbags and tents reflect critical shortcomings in the army spanning pivotal areas such as assault rifles, ammunition, body armour, night-vision equipment, artillery guns and air defence systems.

“From rifles to artillery guns, the shortcomings have dented the army’s capabilities. On the modernisation front, I reckon we are running 15 years behind,” says Jaswal.

Uncertainty surrounds two ongoing tenders for 44,600 carbines and 4,097 light machine guns as in both cases, only a lone vendor has met the army’s requirements. The tenders may be withdrawn, delaying the projects by at least six years.

“Arms-buying procedures are the biggest villain. It’s shocking that things that should have received highest importance have received least, irrespective of which government has been in power,” says lieutenant general Rajender Singh, a former director general of infantry.

The army is also battling shortage of officers and men. As of 2015, it was short of over 9,100 officers and nearly 31,000 men.

Training of soldiers is a bigger concern than equipment shortage, points out former northern army commander lieutenant general HS Panag (retired).

“The army has 3,500 snipers but only a handful of them can pass the standard test of taking a head-shot at 600 metres and a body-shot at 1,000 metres in the first shot. The equipment issue is overplayed…the army’s training is flawed,” says Panag.

But the army says its training standards are among the best globally. “That’s why armies queue up to hold joint drills with us,” a senior army officer insists.

A fruitless 10-year hunt for new assault rifles to replace the flaw-ridden INSAS rifle has returned to the drawing board, with the army on Monday seeking details from prospective vendors. The army plans to buy 65,000 larger calibre 7.62 mm rifles that are more lethal, with another 120,000 to be made in India.

The defence ministry’s acquisition council has given the green light to several projects including 145 ultralight howitzers (M777) for ` 4,600 crore, 420 air defence guns for `16,900 crore, 814 artillery guns for `15,750 crore and 118 Arjun Mk-II tanks for `6,600 crore. The clearance is the first step in a long weapons-buying process and some projects could take at least a decade to materialise.

The army has not inducted a single new artillery gun since the Bofors scandal in 1987.

The homemade Arjun Mk-II tank suffered a major setback two years ago, with a critical Israeli anti-tank missile to be fitted on it failing to meet the army’s needs. The DRDO is still looking for a missile to be fired from the tank’s main gun.

However, the senior officer says the force is “totally prepared” for any kind of military mission. “Most of the modernisation schemes are part of a long-term capability building plan to be implemented by 2027,” he adds.

Officers say the army is running low on ammunition too. Its reserves would barely last 20 days of “intense fighting” against an optimal 40, an audit report revealed last year.

Shortage of ammunition has been addressed to some extent over the last one year, army sources say.

The force requires more than 350,000 new bullet-proof jackets but only 50,000 are on order. The army sought the jackets almost eight years ago.

A cash crunch has forced the government to cut the size and cost of a new mountain strike corps to counter China in the Northeast.The UPA government kicked off the raising of 17 Corps in January 2014 without any separate allocation in the defence budget. “The strike corps is absolutely necessary to upgrade India’s strategy against China from dissuasion to genuine deterrence. The government must make no compromise with the planned strength and funds required,” says strategic affairs expert Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retired).

The army needs to speed up armour modernisation too. “About 1,000 older T-72 tanks and an equal number of infantry combat vehicles have to be upgraded immediately,” says former army vice-chief lieutenant general Philip Campose (retired), who authored a report on review of security of military installations following the Pathankot strike.

Campose says upgrading air defence systems, modernising artillery and improving night-fighting capabilities should also top the army’s priorities.

Chinese vessels are seen around Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. Reuters file photo

Amsterdam/Beijing, July 12

An arbitration court ruled on Tuesday that China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and has breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights with its actions, infuriating Beijing which dismissed the case as a farce.A defiant China, which boycotted the hearings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, vowed again to ignore the ruling and said its armed forces would defend its sovereignty and maritime interests.China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said shortly before the ruling was announced that a Chinese civilian aircraft had successfully tested two new airports in the disputed Spratly Islands. And China’s Defence Ministry said a new guided missile destroyer was formally commissioned at a naval base on the southern island province of Hainan, which has responsibility for South China Sea.The United States, which China has accused of fuelling tensions and militarising the region with patrols and exercises, urged parties to comply with the legally binding ruling and avoid provocations.US officials have previously said they feared China may respond to the ruling by declaring an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea, as it did in the East China Sea in 2013. — Reuters

Ground-breaking ruling

• The ruling is significant as it is the first time that a legal challenge has been brought in the South China Sea dispute
• Reflects shifting balance of power in 3.5 mn sq km sea, where China has been expanding presence by building artificial islands, sending patrol boats that keep Philippine fishing vessels away
• The court has no power of enforcement, but a victory for Philippines could spur Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei to file cases

Chandigarh, September 28

Ex-servicemen have decided to resume their agitation and fast at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in protest against the government failing to resolve perceived anomalies in the implementation of “one rank-one pension” (OROP) formula.A statement issued by the Indian Ex-services Movement today said the protest would commence from October 2 in Delhi as well as at other places. — TNS

COMMENTS

Sole purpose to collect funds over and above already collected in crores at JM and to launch Fauji Janta party a Political out fit a brain child of Maj Gen Satbir Singh.

Till date Maj Gen Satbir has not met Reddy commission but wants Reddy Commission to meet him.

Maj Gen Satbir Singh and his team of Janta  Mantar are misguiding the ESM of the Nation as they have not been invited by any Govt Agency since long.

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The killing of Burhan Wani, the acknowledged face of new-generation militancy in Kashmir, has thrown a new set of challenges before the  system: How to  counter his legacy of guns  and its exploitation on social media. Security forces have claimed a major success, but the real achievement will be an atmosphere in which his death closes a chapter once for all. In this third decade  of militancy in Kashmir, Burhan combined multiple images: an angry young man filled with revenge against the forces that mauled the dignity of his brother six years ago, the boy next door, a symbol of “sacrifice”. His brother was killed by the Army last year. He used social media to lure young and educated boys in South Kashmir into militancy. On his death Omar Abdullah has noted: “Burhan’s ability to recruit into militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media”. Kashmiri anger has erupted after his death. It requires careful handling. Post-Burhan, the road ahead is quite tough for the government and security agencies.  It is tougher for parents who nurture dreams of seeing their wards pursue studies and careers. This is a difficult challenge. It needs a narrative of peace in Kashmir. Many of those who call for peace are being condemned as collaborators. Peace is considered an Indian philosophy and normalcy abnormal by these young activists on social media.The halo of “martyrdom” is being conferred on Burhan for he graduated from a teenaged militant to the awe-inspiring “commander” of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. He mastered his terrain from his birthplace Tral in Pulwama to the encounter site in Kokernag in Anantnag. Guns can be neutralised by guns, but there is no counter to folklore in the making. The real test and challenge for the government in Kashmir is how to get the “boys” turn to the pen from the gun. Burhan was “our boy” in the Kashmiri political lexicon — a son of a teacher who drifted away and took to the gun. The only solution is to treat the common man with dignity — in the street and in the home.

NEXT MOVE Action plan handed over by Parrikar, decision on implementation to be taken by PM and his Cabinet

From page 01 NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government is working on a multi-pronged plan incorporating military options in its post-Uri campaign against Pakistan. The diplomatic part of the plan has been launched at the United Nations with India calling Pakistan a terrorist state that poses a global threat.

PTI FILEThe arms and ammunition recovered from the slain terrorists who attacked the camp in Uri.

New Delhi plans to intensify the diplomatic effort with Islamabad’s traditional supporters in West Asia next by providing direct evidence of the involvement of a Pakistan-based terror group in the Uri attack.

South Block sources said a military action plan has been handed over to the government by defence minister Manohar Parrikar. The decision on its operationalisation is for Prime Minister Modi and his Cabinet to take, they said. “There is no point in retaliating now with Pakistan forces beefed up across the Line of Control and an alert on the international border with India,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

There are no Pakistan markings on either the AK-47 rifles or the two under-barrel grenade-launchers used in the attack but two code sheets in Urdu for wireless communication, two map sheets, two global positioning system (GPS) devices, two wireless set and stores recovered from the four terrorists killed at Uri reveal that the attackers were from a proscribed terrorist group from Punjab in Pakistan, sources said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team probing the September 18 attack that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers is expected to return to Delhi by the weekend. The damaged GPS devices will then be examined by experts to ascertain the route used by the four terrorists to cross the LoC and attack the army brigade at Uri. The wireless codes have already been deciphered by the security agencies, incriminating the terror group behind the attack.

Most of the Indian casualties were suffered as soon as the attack began and have been attributed to the fires in the tents and building housing the advance party of a Bihar Regiment unit. The terrorists were, however, prepared for a long operation as they were carrying dry fruit, medicines and nine packets of Pakistan-made juice powder and pouches.

Court agrees to independent inquiry into 1,528 ‘extra-judicial’ killings in Manipur

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the army’s immunity under a controversial law on Friday, saying it can’t use “excessive or retaliatory force” even in troubled places, and agreed to an investigation into hundreds of alleged illegal killings by security forces in Manipur.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (Afspa), which shields troops from prosecution and is in force in parts of the northeast and Kashmir, is blamed by human rights groups for illegal killings and arbitrary detentions by security forces. The military denies misusing the law.

Friday’s verdict came on petitions from rights groups demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any special team into 1,528 alleged cases of “extra-judicial killings” by the army in Manipur in a dozen years through to 2012.

“If members of our armed forces are deployed and employed to kill citizens of our country on the mere allegation or suspicion that they are ‘enemy’, not only the rule of law but our democracy would be in grave danger,” the top court said. “Society and the courts obviously cannot and do not accept such a death (extra-judicial killings) caused by the State since it is destructive of the rule of law and plainly unconstitutional,” a bench headed by Justice MB Lokur said.

The remarks are the strongest judicial rebuke yet of the army’s special shoot-to-kill powers, which trace their origins to a British-era ordinance used to suppress the Quit India Movement of 1942. It said the situation in Manipur was, at best, an internal disturbance and not a “war-like” threat to national security.

“The army’s internal oversight mechanism is quite robust. Soldiers have been punished with life imprisonment in many cases,” said a senior army officer, who did not wish to be named as the matter is sub-judice.

“But most of the allegations of human rights violations against the army have been found to be false.”

Referring to the “Ten Commandments of the Chief of Army Staff ”, the court said it didn’t matter whether the victim was a common person or a militant or a terrorist, nor did it matter whether the aggressor was a common person or the State.

The law was the same for both and equally applicable to both, it added.

The court agreed to have an independent inquiry into the cases of extra-judicial killings in the northeastern state. It said a decision on who should investigate will be taken after it receives more data on all the cases.

The court said the army was free to initiate a court of inquiry against the accused personnel. Under army rules, court martial proceedings have to be time-bound but in Manipur many cases have dragged for years.

The top court will now take the up the matter after four weeks. By then, advocate Menaka Guruswamy, who is assisting the court in the case, has to gather data on 62 cases earlier investigated by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and a court-appointed panel headed by former SC judge Justice Santosh Hedge.

The human rights watchdog had concluded that 31 of the 62 cases were fake, while the Justice Hedge committee said charges were trumped up in 15.

The Centre defended the killings, arguing they are “part of the sovereign function discharged by the Union of India through the army”. Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi had said security forces could not be blamed for collateral deaths that critics describe as extrajudicial murders in Manipur.

The petitioners – human rights organisations – say troops have not faced action as they operate under Afspa, which grants powers to them to arrest and shoot to kill without fear of prosecution.

CONTROVERSIAL LAW

WHAT IS AFSPA?

HT FILEPeople in Manipur protest against civilian deaths.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act or Afspa was enacted in 1958 to bring under control what the government of India considered ‘disturbed’ areas It grants sweeping powers to the armed forces to arrest, conduct searches and seizures and also provides immunity from prosecution to members of the armed forces ENFORCED IN Parts of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir

THE PLEA

Human rights groups demand probe by CBI or a special investigation team into the alleged 1,528 cases of ‘extrajudicial killings’ in Manipur between 2000 and 2012 by the army

COURT REPLY

Says army can initiate a court of inquiry, but it must be time-bound Next hearing in 4 weeks. Decision on which agency will conduct probe pending.

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NEW DELHI: Finally, the ‘burst of fire’. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on Wednesday cleared the much-awaited deal to buy 36 fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation.

The green signal for the deal worth ¤7.87 billion ($8.84 billion) was taken in a meeting presided by Modi.

The deal is expected to be signed on Friday, as French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is arriving in Delhi on that day. Of the ¤7.87 billion, about 50 per cent will be covered under offset, which means either France will reinvest this amount in India or source equipment of this value from India.

French President Francois Hollande and Modi had intervened in the procurement of the nuclear-capable Rafale jets in 2015, ordering government-to-government talks after several years of commercial negotiations with Dassault had collapsed.

Besides other features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of the IAF is the Beyond Visual Range Meteor air-to-air missile with a range of over 150 km. Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean the IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while still staying within Indian territory.

Pakistan currently has only a BVR with 80 km range. During the Kargil war, India used a BVR of 50 km while Pakistan had none. With Meteor, the balance of power has again tilted in India’s favour. Scalp, a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile with a range of over 300 km also gives the IAF an edge over its adversaries.

Tough negotiations by the MoD-IAF team extracted many concessions from the French before arriving at a price that is almost ¤750 million less than what was quoted by France in January.