Encounters with militants result in casualties to security forces. Incidents of stone throwing, protests and anti-national comments by the Hurriyat dominate headlines at regular intervals. Local poster boy militants, scared of challenging the army, secure in their hideouts or homes, issue statements on social media, asking people to support them, which are widely circulated. Security forces operations against them are […]
Twice a year, the J and K state machinary moves along the national highway, spending summers in Srinagar and winters in Jammu. It maintains this practice of pre-Independence India. This shift of the state government, termed darbar move, involves movement of staff, families and resetting up government offices. While the move is in progress, the working of the government comes […]
Those of us who have visited Kashmir, even when it was peaceful or have served in the state, would always carry a few stark realities of the region. Firstly, as a tourist you are always asked, ‘have you have come from India’, and secondly, All India Radio was and continues to be termed as Radio Kashmir. That stated, they were […]
Fading Indian politicians seek limelight solely hoping for a boost in their careers. A few minutes of media glare, they hope, would re-open doors to a flagging career and maybe their party would suddenly recognize their capability. Mani Shankar Aiyar rushed to Srinagar, seeking to hobnob with the Hurriyat, knowing that even when his party was in power, they had […]
The army chief, General Bipin Rawat, gave an interview to a national news agency last week. Opposition parties and media have accused him of making intemperate comments during his interaction. The statements, some partially misquoted, include phrases ‘dirty war in Kashmir’, ‘firing weapons instead of throwing stones’, ‘adversaries and your people should be afraid of you’ and his continued support […]
Militancy in J and K assisted by stone throwing, increased militant encounters, Chinese intrusions, regular firing incidents on the Pak border and aid to civil authorities ensure that the army remains in the limelight throughout. The nation witnesses’ discussions on TV concerning actions of the army, where veterans join a multitude of politicians spread across party lines, security analysts from […]
The nation is aware, Lakshman had amply illustrated it in his cartoons, that finding an honest politician is akin to seeking a needle in the haystack. The needle may still be found, an honest politician unlikely. Politics is never the art of caring for the common human, but first of filling pockets, then possibly catering to the needs of the […]
An incident can change a life, an incident can bring fame as also an incident can become a topic for a national debate which continues to simmer, long after it occurred, with no signs of dying down. The tying of Ahmed Dar to the jeep by Major Gogoi is one such. Proponents of the incident, salute the officer for his […]
The army and the nation have immense experience in handling insurgencies. We have been battling them since the fifties. The Naga insurgency began in 1958 and the Mizo uprising in 1966. A watershed in the history of the country occurred on 5 Mar 1966, when Indira Gandhi had the air force bomb Aizawl, the only time in Indian history, when […]
A recent press statement suggested that within the military there appears to be a disagreement, in the establishment of Unified Commands. This flows from the views being projected by service HQs on the Shekatkar committee report, which had recommended establishing Unified Commands in the country. This is in sharp contrast to another recent event where the three service chiefs stood […]