by Nilesh Kunwar
'Paradise' Lost
With terrorism raising its ugly head in J&K during the late eighties, Kashmir, which was considered to be “paradise on earth” for centuries, turned into a veritable Hell.
What made this humongous collective human tragedy even more distressing is that even though sponsored by the Pakistan army to further its aim of “bleeding India through a thousand cuts,” this proxy war was facilitated and promoted by some unscrupulous Kashmiris working at the behest of Rawalpindi.
Impressed by the performance of the Pakistan army trained Taliban fighting America’s proxy war against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan, President Zia ul Haq decided to replicate this model in J&K.
Thanks to CIA’s casual approach as regards monitoring the utilisation of money, and weapons being provided to Pakistan army’s notorious spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for training and equipping the Taliban, siphoning significant funds and weaponry for the proxy war in J&K was an easy task.
Manufacturing 'Armed Struggle'
ISI did a good job by setting up camps in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) to indoctrinate and provide military training to Kashmiri youth. Simultaneously, it created a core team of Kashmiris to head the proxy war in J&K and this led to the emergence of the HAJY group.
Deriving its name from the initial alphabet of its four members (Hamid Sheikh, Ashfaq Wani, Javed Mir and Yasin Malik) of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) this group brought the Kalashnikov into J&K. The HAJY group formally challenged the writ of the Indian state on July 31, 1988 by setting off bombs in Srinagar.
What followed thereafter was an unending spate of indiscriminate violence in Kashmir Valley unleashed by heavily armed JKLF cadres and instances of rampant killings, kidnappings as well as extortion became commonplace.
Legitimising this wanton bloodshed as an inescapable ingredient of the “armed struggle,” JKLF leaders assured the people that “azadi (freedom) was just around the corner.”
Eliminating Opposition
To ensure that its proxy war does not face any impediment or falter, ISI orchestrated killing of those it perceived to be a potential threat and Awami Action Committee (AAC) founder Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq is just one example.
Despite strongly endorsing Pakistan’s demand for resolution of the J&K issue through plebiscite, the Mirwaiz was shot dead by unknown gunmen on May 21, 1990. While JKLF blamed security/intelligence agencies for this killing, it was no secret that JKLF was itself responsible. Unfortunately, the terrorised people did not protest the gruesome killing of a revered preacher.
Why was Mirwaiz killed? The answer is that despite his pro-Pakistan stance on J&K, Mirwaiz was uncompromising in his commitment towards seeking a peaceful resolution. Therefore, the ISI most probably assumed that he could raise his voice against the so-called “armed struggle” and this could have led to his assassination.
In 2011, senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Bhat publicly admitted that Mirwaiz Maulvi, senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone and JKLF ideologue Abdul Ahad Wani "were not killed by the army or the police. They were targeted by our own people.” He also made an extremely incisive and undeniable observation that "Wherever we found an intellectual, we ended up killing him,” which clearly indicates that terrorists serve ISI’s interests and nor that of Kashmiris.
The Purge
Though JKLF spearheaded ‘”armed struggle” was doing well, its stated aim of achieving Azadi upset the ISI for two reasons. One, the Azadi-call went against Pakistan’s Kashmir narrative and two, clamour for freedom in J&K could create a similar demand in PoJK.
By refusing to tow the Pakistan merger line, JKLF signed its own death warrant. ISI stopped funding JKLF, it created Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) in September 1989, whose avowed aim was to seek J&K’s merger with Pakistan.
What followed was a fierce and brutal turf war between JKLF and HM terrorists on an unprecedented scale and JKLF co-founder Amanullah Khan’s revelation that HM had killed more JKLF cadres than Indian security forces indicates the ruthlessness with which ISI eliminates its perceived threats.
Due to lack of funds attacks by HM, JKLF was decimated and it ceased to be a military force; consequently, the “azadi” slogan was replaced by “Kashmir banega Pakistan” (Kashmir will become part of Pakistan).
The Great Deception
That the so-called “armed struggle” in Kashmir was a cruel joke played on its people is evident from what those involved in it have themselves stated. Gen Pervez Musharraf who has served as both the President of Pakistan and its army chief has admitted “Kashmiris who came to Pakistan received a hero's reception here. We used to train them and support them. We considered them as mujahideen who will fight with the Indian army."
From Gen Musharraf’s revelation it’s amply clear that the Kashmiris who came to become “mujahideen” were feted by the Pakistan army not because they were going to take part in a struggle to ‘liberate’ Kashmir but only because they would “fight with the Indian army.”
Similarly, HM chief Syed Salahuddin has admitted that “we are fighting Pakistan’s war in Kashmir- another unambiguous admission that the so-called “armed struggle” is nothing but a proxy war being waged by Pakistan through Kashmiris.
Gainers And Losers
Terrorism in J&K has adversely impacted the lives of an overwhelming majority of its people and destroyed thousands of homes. However, this scourge has come as a boon for a select few who have made a fortune by jettisoning their conscience and morals by furthering ISI’s objectives. The main gainers are those in high places within ISI’s terrorism support ecosystem, be it separatist leaders, recruiters and terrorist commanders.
Besides receiving lavish payments from ISI, these crafty people have in the past not only ensured the safety of their children by preventing them from picking up the gun, but also secured government jobs/ a seat in a medical college for them. Senior Hurriyat leader SAS Geelani and HM chief Salahuddin are just two examples of how diehard proponents of the so-called “armed struggle” in Kashmir (could till quite recently), literally have the cake and eat it too!
Lessons For Future
The level of terrorist violence in J&K may have reduced significantly due to the realisation amongst the people that they are being used as mere pawns in the proxy war against India. However, since Pakistan’s in no mood to stop sponsoring terrorism in India, Kashmir may not be out of the woods as yet.
Therefore, while security forces and intelligence agencies need to remain vigilant and nip any mischief being orchestrated by Pakistan in the bud, the people of Kashmir also need to realise that if Pakistan is a friend, then Kashmiris don’t need an enemy!
Lastly, Terrorism took root in J&K due to public apathy as also the peoples’ blind faith in Pakistan. It has taken more than three decades to get this menace under control and during this period, while nothing positive has been achieved an entire generation has been deprived of its right to live peacefully and without fear.
All Kashmiris therefore need to seriously contemplate on Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s 2007 seminal observation that "The dialogue process to resolve the Kashmir issue should be given a chance as efforts through military means have not achieved any results except creating more graveyards."
Nilesh Kunwar is a retired Indian Army Officer who has served in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. He is a keen ‘Kashmir-Watcher,’ and after retirement is pursuing his favourite hobby of writing for newspapers, journals and think-tanks. Views expressed above are the author's own
