KASHMIR THROUGH MY EYES : THE DESTRUCTION OF “COUNTER INSURGENCY INDUSTRY” – PART – 1

KASHMIR THROUGH MY EYES : THE DESTRUCTION OF COUNTER INSURGENCY INDUSTRY PART – 1

06 Aug 2019 – This thread #KashmirThroughMyEyes on Twitter was in three parts. Part 1 in August 2019, Part 2 in Dec 2019-Jan 2020 and Part 3 in Mar 2020.

Read the article keeping these dates in the back of your mind. Abrogation of Article 370 broke the back of the ‘Counter Insurgency Industry’, a booming industry for 30 years. Abrogation was like lights going off during a stage show. It simply forced everyone to go home.

PART – 1

THE DESTRUCTION OF COUNTER INSURGENCY INDUSTRY

The Big Orchestra

It is very strange that this big corruption, corruption of money, corruption of ethics, corruption of morality and corruption of minds went on for three decades and we did not have a single gentleman in top echelons who saw this. Was it ignorance or complacency? With more than  100 players, some big and some small, the orchestra played in perfect sync. It was very clear, till the orchestra plays in sync, the Counter Insurgency Operations will not finish. The orchestra played beautifully for three decades. I realised very early on that insurgency, terrorism & chaos in Kashmir was full time business & a career enhancement tool. Solving Kashmir issue did not find favour with (local) establishment. This helped those at the centre too. It was a thriving industry. 

Insurgency : A Thriving Industry

I crossed Kashmir Valley in 1991, ninth year of my service, and, before I left army in 2006, I think I had spent most of the years in valley intermittently. I remember seeing the BB Cantt gate open and free movement of civilians to it becoming the most heavily guarded cantonment in the country. I saw developments, on ground, in 90’s. Very closely for 15 years thereafter & served in most intense Counter Insurgency environment. From local to national -politicians, bureaucrats, army, police & intelligentsia agreed that ‘Kashmir problem did not have a solution’. It was wonderful to see all of these people in 100% sync. Partners in crime rarely disagree with each other.

A labourer in my camp left happily to join J&K Police as ‘recruit’. He claimed to have paid Rs 5 lacs in 1999. Whole family had contributed. He was confident that in three years he will ‘recover’ complete amount. He met me after a year. He had put on lot of weight, had returned half of the money and was hopeful of being debt free in another six months. A plain policeman, under training and see the booming economy.

The Booming Valley

Common man across valley suffered. Travel from Quazi Gund (village at base of Banihal Pass, the first village of valley) to Chowki Bal (last village in plains opposite Muzaffarabad (PoK) or Sonamarg (at base of Zozila, entry point towards Kargil-Leh). 100% houses across the state are two/three stories, brick construction houses. Excellent wood work. No industry. No economy. No business. One wondered initially how can a valley be so beautiful, rich, with no shanties? By road convoy we would crisscross entire valley and never saw any industry. Tourism surely was thriving but as insurgency rose, tourism subsided. Where was the money coming from. Construction was the most common activity.

 The view surprised me. How come right down to smallest villages the houses were two/three story and all brick? Does not take a person of average intelligence much time to realise that the complete Govt machinery, bureaucrats, lawmakers, contractors and middlemen rule the roost. Nothing of this public money could be seen on ground. No projects could be seen. Poor roads, poor electricity, half-finished bridges, miserable state government department offices, no animal husbandry etc. Central Government has poured thousands and thousands of crores each year. Cash has been transported in Air India and IAF aircrafts. Where does it go? Total up the money pumped in state in last 70 years, translate it into building and construction, and there you are.

Having spent so many years it became so obvious. The complete machinery worked hand and glove. Civil Admin produces millionaires. Law Makers made millions each month. Law Enforcement agencies found their benefits. Only challenge was how to continue the fire burning? Security forces which had open cantts in 70’s & 80’s which resemble German fortifications today.

Sustaining Industry

The industry thrived. Sustaining was the challenge. The counter insurgency industry permitted embezzlement of funds and it suited local who’s who.

Politicians were of three kinds. The first were the ones who stayed in Lutyens and spent time in Srinagar. The second were who were full time local and the third were who looked local but worked with Pakistan. All were hand in glove with each other and directed insurgency.

The ‘separatists’ had their own kinds. There were over ground separatists, they openly were anti India, there were local militants who could manage to get weapons at will, there were declared local militants and the last were the Pakistan based terrorists. These people were seamlessly integrated. The over ground hob knobbed with politicians!

Bureaucrats and the Governor and the local administrators were the major contributors to the industry. Nothing could go past their tables. They managed hefty allowances, security and everything that made then the ‘kings’ and presided over the lives of people while tightly holding strings of money purse.

Security Forces. The more the security forces, the more zeros were added to personal bank accounts. Construction, Ration, Labour, Intelligence, Salaries, Porters etc. generates huge work. Transportation business boomed. Never could you find free road driving from Jammu to Srinagar. The more the security forces, the better it was. 

Now the ‘security industry’ would extract their cost. Army occupied the top position. No one could question the. Killing ‘insurgency’ and ‘terrorism’ was professional suicide for Army. They always painted a very grim situation and pointed finger at Pakistan. Border sealing required thousands of crores which the government did not have hence infiltration was always covered up. Keep troops happy with allowances. Keep insurgency alive. Get promotions by pressurising command for KILLS. A sure shot way to success. Most exploited situation. The climb was rapid. Commanding Officers made it or were jacked up. No ‘kills’ meant incompetence. You dare not tell boss that ‘things are peaceful here’.

The other khaki uniforms learnt rather fast & beat original scriptwriters. BSF, CRPF, SSB, Assam Rifles and most CAPFs found themselves in valley. The industry boomed. Atmosphere of distrust helped to push agenda within own hierarchy, whether civil or uniformed. More troops meant more control. IAS, IPS, Military, Police and Lawmakers were all ‘right’ individually but collectively had one aim. 

National Political Parties

This is something that needs to be investigated. I am of firm opinion that there were parties that ensured that the industry thrived. It meant that the counter insurgency was going on with full support of Centre.

The Orchestra

It’s so easy to gang up when benefits are immense. The ultimate brotherhood, so uncharacteristic in peace, it at full bloom in Counter Insurgency ‘Industry’. Promotions, Awards, Citations, Courses, Prized Postings and a favourable boss is the ultimate feed of Army. CAPFs are ruled by IPS and safest postings in highly intense CI with fattest allowances are their feed. They love proximity to law makers. State Police is on minting trip. It’s the most lucrative job in valley. They do wonderful work with SF and are equally comfortable with other side. Common man is their ‘milk cow’! They hate Army and CAPFs. Army hates CAPFs. CAPFs hate both. BUT? Each one is at all times at the Sunday best. 24X365 you will find tremendous praise by Army for CAPFs & J&K Police & similarly by other two.

The common binding factor is insurgency. Each is juicing the best & hence doesn’t want to topple the cart. Valley is infested with Intelligence Agencies. Each has his own. Each vies and dies to report FIRST to his boss. Others can go to hell. The economics are huge. The ‘Security Forces Industry’ is thus complete and each boss briefs his ‘own’ boss! At the state level different organisations give their regular assessment. @PMOIndia needs to get hand to assessment by each organisation for each month for last three decades. You can make a 100 episode TV Drama and still have more seasons. 

Now who gets to understand the inputs? Governor? CM? Army Commander? DG Police? Chief Secretary? WHO? So finally it emerges that it’s impossible to finish insurgency and more Funds, Forces and Equipment are mandatory. Central Govt always buckled. 

The law makers have their own games. They’re with the hare and hunt with the hounds. There are Moderates, Hard liners and the ‘Families’. All know at all times about everything. A renegade terrorist gets tipped off to police/CAPF/Army as favour. You will now understand where experts come from & what advise they will render. From IB, RAW, Army, IAS, IPS, Bureaucrats, CAPFs, administrators- everybody milked Valley to last drop. EXPERTS emerge. They write, position themselves to be picked up, appear on TV, cry, scream and in the evening all sit together and say cheers! They position themselves within visible horizon of Government to attract attention to their ‘hard earned’ expertise!! They are Kashmir Experts!! Experts who were part of the Counter Insurgency Industry. They ran it. They ensured it was kept alive! 

Enters the HERO, HEROINE and THE KING MAKERS – THE PRESS. Vernacular to National. Local Channels to National. Journos, each with a clear agenda. The Counter Insurgency Industry is head over heels licking the press. Most look at them with begging eyes. They take FULL protection from forces, make the ‘boss’ lick them. They write. Positive- it’s hurray for boss. It’s negative- boss is sealed. They know how to extract hospitality and force them into submission. Truth is murdered at convenience. They sit with terrorists with as much ease as they will be with the corps commander the very next day.

Prime Minister Modi

This mess could only be sorted out by PM. Not one PM in past was interested, in fact, keeping J&K alive made sense for political survival. With no one rendering advise, decision was left to PM. Lot of hard work went into Abrogation of Article 370. THIS WAS A MASTER STROKE. A Surgical Strike that broke back of this industry. Everyone is cut to size. The industry will be consulted, they will be TOLD.

KASHMIRS INSURGENCY INDUSTRY IS DEAD. No more AVSMs & PVSMS. Common man was like RK Laxman’s common man. We produced ‘Experts on Kashmir’. These experts were part of the problem and never the solution. Careers were made. No more ‘How many kills?’ Shocking as it may seem, the insurgency industry was nurtured, watered & protected by the very people sent there to redeem Kashmir. I have written in past on ‘Why it doesn’t pay to finish insurgency ‘? It paid well in terms of funds, promotions, awards, careers & post-retirement benefit. I cannot digest how we have exploited the ‘rich’ killing fields of Valley.

PART – 2 soon. The story goes on…..