Surinder Ambardar
A video of beheading of an American photojournalist James Foley got viral on the social media in August 2014. The video carried a threat message for then American President Barack Obama, to cease war on the terrorist organisation – Islamic state of Iraq and Syria ISIS. The barbaric demonstration of beheading Foley with knife attracted international attention and it was found this brutal way killing a humane was carried by a group of terrorists headed by Abu Musab al Zarqwai belonging to ISIS. This tragic event not only sensitised the whole world but also surfaced a new mindset of extreme Islamic order with fatal and medieval demonic practice of neutralizing. This led whole global into a debate and genuinely so but question arises that why the world lived mute and careless for more than three decades when the seeds of the extreme radicalised doctrine was propounded by a state in early eighties by former Pakistani president Gen. Zia-ul-Haq. Gen. Zia not only brought the paradigm shift in Pakistan defence policy but was equally instrumental in exporting the radicalised narrative to Middle East that got admissible response from US and UK.
The policy shift was to avenge against the outcome of 1971 war where Gen. Manekshaw’s call to Gen Neyazi to surrender 90 thousand army who were responsible of creating a mayhem in Bangladesh. Pakistani army was involved in heinous crime of rape, loot and murder of innocent Bangladeshi. What is known that if Neyazi would not have opted to surrender, possibly that whole lot of Pakistani army would have been lynched. The very first victim of new policy in the follow up Shimla agreement proved fatal to Zulfkar Ali Bhutto who was first imprisoned and then hanged to death by Gen Zia through army coup. The objectives of Zia’s policy shift in terms of
* That hence forth Islamic Republic of Pakistan will be a religious state.
* That Pak army will get religionsed.
* That terrorism will be official component of Pakistan’s defence mechanism. The established fact is that since Zia had strong connection with CIA so this Duo collaborated, clubbed into infamous design of crafting in the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan followed by Bleed India with hundred cut theory. The essential inference therefore is that it was that time Operation Topac was conceived and proxy war against India in Kashmir was planned.
Yousuf Bodensaki- the former director of US task force in his formal report says that Gulbdin Hekmatyar and Taliban leader Rabbani were taken on board, with the assessment that-
a- India had a poor and loose global connect.
b- Inherited contradictions in the polity of India.
c- Perception of a soft state.
The factual position is that Indian establishment did not recognise quantum of mesmerised process carried by ISI in the middle of eighties, Jamait-e-Islamiya’s student wing Islamic students league ISL was the frontline organ of ISI. In fact the magnitude was misgauged, ISI launched full fledged proxy war in 1989-90 (Sopore, Kupwor and Apoor) was openly aired .The mass exodus and ethnic cleansing of entire civilization of Kashmiri Pandits with a genocidel intent displayed ruptured the sociological fabric and unequally damaged the constitutional values of Indian nation state. The civilizational onslaught was downplayed, the ostrich behaviour and ornamental response not only helped swell in the monolithic and extremist narrative but assumed a demonic shape. Three decades of continuous, sustained terror practice has expanded the volume of the theocratic foul. Need to accept is that ISI has succeeded in penetrating its moles in almost all the sections of civil society groups be it Kashmir Bar, Kashmir chamber, Kashmir economic alliance, Kashmir universities and religious institutions even their presence is seen in, business groups, judiciary, police and civil administration as well. The set pattern of infiltration and exfiltration is equally guarded by local links especially belonging to Jamat-e-Islami covered by local politicians. The worst part of the whole mess is that Kashmiri based political parties are not only nourishing the soft separatist narrative but there are reports of their involvement in harbouring as well. Couple of civil society initiatives have been instrumental in institutionalising the curriculum based programme to develop anti India hatred scout which is being mentored and backed by main stream parties.
Today who-so-ever talks of Kashmir it is fog when we miss presence and involvement of splinters of Inter State Public Relation links. ISPR an official outfit of ISI involved in propaganda, networking, lobbying and pumping money has equally made inroads in the streets of Kashmir. Scores of Kashmiri journalists have been engaged for twin purposes one they publish the columns and secondly in content developing practices. Scores of news papers carry the propaganda. Countless news agencies which create false news grid on daily basis are on pay roles. Hundreds and hundreds of social sites are operating from Kashmir on their behest, a full fledged office is functioning 24*7 from Rawalpindi hqrs. The exclusive portal is many times used as threat warnings and has international connectivity. This institution engages double agents, writers’ parliamentarians and senators, human right organs. The perennial monitoring of various channels involved in narcotic trafficking, hawalas, mafia, religious foundations, cross border traders is an another task.
The freshly pumped strategy of stone pelting at operational sites is the direct outcome of the grand strategy of IS in collaboration.
The crux of the whole fuss is that Kashmir today is being represented by radical and anti Indian spokespersons by suppressing the genuine aspiration of commoners at gun point, the majority of the people feel suffocation and oppressed one at the behest of separatist bandwagons in league with terror friendly local mainstream parties. This engineered conflict is being managed by enemies within who are the key players adding the challenges and they have capacity to export the anti national narrative to other parts of the country to fit into design of bleed India with hundred cuts, let us mind seriously that SIMI and Indian Mujahideen are post 90 developments and the proactive elements of urban naxals and pseudo nationalists in collaboration can be a future threat.
The Pulwama mayhem has changed the discourse now. New Delhi is not ready to acknowledge tailored or flooded feedback which amount to confusion, the known fault lines of Pakistan need to be exploited and Baluchistan can be the first as terror and talks cannot go together. The world has seen the paradigm shift in India’s response but the enemies within are standing as challenge before the mighty Indian state. Kashmir is sick and needs treatment so both conventional and unconventional practices have to go together. NIA, ED and IT can be made more functional for joint ventures with their respective mandates. It can be retrieved by shifting the fear through psychological operations. Then there is need to strike from where the foul has been injected. Today the silver line is that India is being led not by a Prime Minister but a mass leader Narendra Modi who is being acknowledged and respected by the world bodies and he is one leading from the front, given his will any captain Meir Dagon and Gen Sharon can come to salute him with the message, Sir “Operation Chameleon is successful.”
(The writer is Member Legislative Council J&K)
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