THE FACADE OF NORMALCY IN KASHMIR

Author QAZI SAJAD DELINAVI - Thursday, 23 02 2012 09:45

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 Body language constitutes 75% or more of what we are communicating and researches in this field have shown that the speakers face is the most reliable source of information when it comes to judging his/her mood. Thanks to this branch of knowledge which has made it easier to tell whether a person, you are talking to, is happy, sullen or irritated, or whether he or she is lying to you or is impatient. Though there are serious exceptions and the theorem cannot be applied in all cases, particularly with people of camouflaging tendencies, the principal however seems befitting for masses.  
Some days back there was a discussion about "Pathribal fake encounter “on NDTV. Like any other discussion on TV this one also finished without any consensus or conclusion. However what was noteworthy in the show was the body language of Major General (Retd) G.D Bakshi. The way he was talking and making his point was quite pugnacious. In a way his callous behaviour substantiated explicitly the above mentioned Kinesic home-truths. Fortunately the common Kashmiri in Sajad Gani Lone, who was also among the panelists, was quick to read the hidden message behind the old General's unspoken dialogue. In his words “if this is the attitude of Army stalwarts in live TV show what would be their behaviour with a peripheral helpless populace.”
Pertinently GoC Lt General S.A Hasnain could not conceal his insulting smile and hardly managed to soften the curve around his mouth during his expedient condolence meeting with the highly grievous family members of a 20 year old civilian Ashiq Hussain Rather of Laiser Rafiabad who was shot dead by the troopers of 32 Rashtriya Rifles in the courtyard of his house. There was no sign of guiltiness or repentance on the face of the Army General. He didn’t made any stern warning against the culprits and made no comments as to why his promise of healing the wounds of Kashmir’s, which he has made earlier was not kept by his men in uniform. He had rather displayed his nameplate to clam the crying father who repeatedly utter that his son was innocent. It would not be out of place to mention that the killing took place in a relatively calm area which has not witnessed any militancy related incident for the past more than one decade.
The pseudo - intellectual class may not agree with the fact that security agencies operating in Kashmir are the real masters and there is no marked control of state government over them, But for a commoner who confronts daily a bullet-proof jacket clad dusky uniformed personal armored with multipurpose assault rifle and a big danda (heavy stick) in his hand, the picture is wide and clear.
We need not necessarily to be social scientists to understand the plain truth that 7 lac or more troops rule the roost in Kashmir. Had it not been so then there would have been no recurring incidents of civilian killings by Army under the very nose of state government and despite C.M Omar Abdullah's rhetorical statements and lofty assurances of maximum restraint by top brass. How repulsive is to hear after every such incident the same statements like “an inquiry will be initiated”, “law will take its course of action”, “guilty will be punished", and “SOP will be strictly adhered to". . .  so on and so forth. Even Arundhati Roy while terming our region as ‘the most brutally occupied region in the world ‘has said that “immense atrocities are being committed by more than half a million unaccountable Indian troops in Kashmir"
As they said “it is difficult to understand pain unless you experience it". Just overtake some speedy army truck or park your vehicle near some army camp. Have an argument with any erring soldier or ask for justification from a trooper who has barged in somebody’s house. What will you receive in return will definitely be a bundle of slaps, some fine blows and volley of chaste Hindi and Punjabi slangs. And if that would not be enough to cool down your mind you will be taken to some army compound where theories of justice, concepts of law, liberty, equality and human rights, and lofty ideas about governance will be trashed from your mind by whatever methods they can.
The fact of the matter is that the government which cannot take simple political decisions of its own and the chief minister who cannot sack his own subordinate without New Delhi’s prior permission can do nothing to safeguard his people from so called security forces equipped with unbounded powers and administered by far off home ministry. Let’s not be swayed by the camouflage of normalcy and facade of democratic government. Let’s come to terms with actuality and stop misleading ourselves and others. Kashmir is still a brutally occupied region of the world. Believe it or not!