Dear Departed,
Ever
since you were terminated in a forces-led operation in the Valley, 23 people
have died. I don’t know why they died. The majority were possibly overcome with
grief and fury and wanted to avenge your death. That did not happen, for
obvious reasons. A policeman was thrown along with his vehicle into a river and
he drowned. I grieve with your family and with the families of all those who
lost their lives. Despicable though you may have been, I cannot find it in my
heart to blame your family.
You
could have been an engineer, a doctor, an archeologist or a software programmer but your fate
drew you to the seductive world of social media, with its instant celebrity
hood and all encompassing fame. You posted pictures on the internet
with your “brothers”, all you fine young Rambos holding assault rifles and
radio sets. It was right out of Hollywood. Your rifle’s fire selector switch
was set to “safe” and your weapon rested on your shoulder. I know it’s too late
to advise you on such matters, but NEVER do that in an operational area.
The
day you started with your social media blitzkrieg, you were a dead man. You
encouraged young men of Kashmir to kill Indian soldiers, all from behind the
safety of your Facebook account. Your female fan following was delirious. You were
a social media rage. Unknown to you, there was probably some nerd with a laptop
sitting in HQ XV Corps, tracking you 24/7. You died when you were 22. Had you
survived this operation, you would have died when you were 23. Just a different
date on the calendar, that’s all. The intensity of violence and the result
would have been the same.
I
wish we had met and I could have explained to you (before killing you) that the
old men of the Hurriyat Conference are like leech.
They feed on the blood of men. They send young Kashmiris to face the Indian
Army. What sort of a war is this, where lambs are sent to fight lions?
I
would have shown you the sheer duplicity of the Hurriyat, with their sons
living abroad, pursuing professions other than jihad. Name one relative of Syed
Ali Geelani, the head of the Hurriyat Conference, who is fighting the so-called
Indian “occupation”? His son Nayeem Geelani is a doctor in Rawalpindi, and lives under the patronage of the
Pakistani ISI. Zahoor, his second son, lives in South Delhi. Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq’s sister Rabia is a doctor in the US. Mariyam Andrabi, sister of head of the radical Dukhtran-e-Millat,
Asiya Andrabi, along with her family lives in Malaysia. Every Kashmiri
separatist leader’s daughter or son is rich and safe, outside Kashmir. Jihad is
for other people’s sons.
And
your parent’s son is dead. Dead from a 7.62 mm full metal jacket round to the
head.
Kashmir’s
young and restless blame the security forces for killing them. But they never
question the Hurriyat. No one asks Syed Ali Geelani why Burhan Wani is not from
his family.
Pakistani
media was ecstatic when Kashmiris celebrated Eid this year along with Pakistan
and not with the rest of India. This was reported as a blow to the unity of
India. This is the first time in the 1400 year history of Islam that Eid was
declared, not by witnessing the Shawwal moon, but by looking towards Pakistan.
Well done.
The
Hurriyat has nothing to do with Kashmiris. This unrest, this bloodshed is just
another business. If not, I would like to see the list of martyrs from the
Hurriyat leadership’s families.
The
Hurriyat knows too well that Kashmir has fallen off the map of the world’s
attention. No one cares and everyone knows that it is an artificially
manufactured conflict. The Kashmir dispute exists because it is an inexpensive
way for Pakistan to keep Indian forces bogged down in the valley.
You
were a terrorist. You chose to wage war against India. Like for all other such
perpetrators in the past, it didn’t go too well for you. When you choose to
fight against the Indian Army, know this; THEY WILL KILL YOU.
Your
supporters now want blood. So be it.
Cheers!
Major
Gaurav Arya (Veteran)
Wasim Khan a young Kashmiri currently
settled in Mumbai has written a heartfelt post on his Facebook account, which
responds to the ex-Major’s letter.
In his post
Khan says:
Dear Major
Gaurav Arya, I was about to board a flight when I came across your letter. To
be honest in retrospect I wish I had not read it but I was curious to
understand your point of view so I went ahead and did read it. Your words
stayed with me and for the next two hours. I kept thinking about the issues you
touched. As time progressed the meaning of your words threw my mind into a
state of frenzied thoughts. I could talk about each one of those issues but I
think there’s a bigger issue here that’s gone missing. I want to talk about
that because I don’t want my friends, especially in India to feel proud about
what’s happening in Kashmir right now. I want them to know the truth, which
according to your letter I find half told.
Let me begin
by saying that I get your point straight up. Burhan Wani was a Hizbul
commander. He challenged the Indian army and he met his fate. I understand and
in fact I respect that as your point of view being an army officer. This is
war. No two ways about it. Lets not be confused and that’s your job. The army
is in Kashmir to kill insurgents and has been doing so successfully for about
two and a half decades now. You being an army officer should take pride in that
and so should the fellow countrymen. I will not take this back to history and
talk about why there is insurgency to begin with. I’m sure you are well aware
of it. If not then you’re being conveniently ignorant.
But here’s
my worry. I get a feeling you didn’t write this letter because you were just
proud of the army’s achievements. You wrote this letter because of the backlash
that came about after it resulting in many deaths in the recent days and that
bothered you. Not the deaths, but the backlash.
You Major
Arya are a part of a mighty force. I think fifth strongest in the world but
then you forget. More than the might of the army you are also a part of worlds
largest democracy. If J&K is an ‘integral’ part of India then why do not
the laws of democracy apply there? In statistics they do. Don’t you think
that’s being hypocritical?
Going by
your words had Burhan survived at 22 he would have died at 23. You know I
didn’t even about know about him till recently. I actually googled him after
his death and he became news to me along with the rest of my friends in India.
Apparently he became a militant because the army trashed his brother
unconscious in front of him. That probably was the first nail.
This reminds me. Let me tell you something about myself. When the army in
Srinagar beat me up for the first time I was ten years old. Ask me why and I’ll
tell you I don’t know. I seriously don’t. I was just walking on the road and a
soldier decided to frisk me then slap me and then he and his fellow mighty
warriors together kicked me. There was no social media then and I didn’t
threaten them. Last I remembered was that I offered water to one soldier
standing outside my house on a hot sunny day.
The second
time I was beaten up by the BSF I was still ten years old. The third time I was
beaten up by the CRPF I was still ten years old and then next fifteen sixteen
times I was beaten up I was STILL ten years old. I remember this one time. A
few years later I was pulled over and the soldier pushed me aside as I got out
of the car. I told him to take it easy and barely finished my sentence when I
felt a gun butt on my neck. I fell down. This was on the highway. When I
regained consciousness I managed to spot an officer. I walked up to him and
tried to reason. Before I could even get close enough he gestured me to stop.
Then he said, ‘Tum sab h******* ke saath yehi karna chahiyae. Get lost’. He
then got in his gypsy along with his mighty force and drove off. I just stood
there and watched them disappear. The damage had been done. I didn’t catch his
nameplate but I hope that wasn’t you.
If you could
ask my friends they’d tell you how I didn’t let that or any similar experiences
bother me. Also post these beatings I didn’t resort to violence. It did cross
my mind a few times but it wasn’t in me. I wouldn’t be out of place if I even
told you that all the times I was beaten up weren’t because I was protesting. I
was beaten up because I just looked at someone in uniform and the person my
best guess is that the soldier probably felt threatened. Trust me when I say I
only looked because I was curious. I can’t say I felt much curious after that.
In the early
nineties the strength of militants was about 4000 in the valley. You can check
this with the nerd at HQ XV Corps. He’ll agree. Today the number of militants
is about 66 in south Kashmir and about 40 in the north and rest of the valley.
However the number of the army in the early nineties was about five hundred
thousand and today it’s a little over seven hundred thousand. The nerd will
agree to this too. So, if the army has successfully eradicated so many
insurgents what is the need for the might to grow now?
Now, coming
to the recent deaths. Something that’s bothering me more than the Kashmir
issue. More than bilateral or trilateral talks. The reason why I chose to write
back to your letter. When you joined the army you were a graduate. Then you
went to the prestigious Indian Military Academy and come out as a polished
officer. I too have visited the IMA and man was I also impressed. I have more
than ten friends in the Army. Many of my friends are army officer’s children
and not once the thought crossed my mind that why didn’t they as army officer’s
children join the army. I’m saying this to you so that we are not confused why
Geelani’s or someone from Mirwaiz Omar’s family is abroad. It’s not relevant to
what’s happening in Kashmir or is it? You really think that they would or could
have done something to stop the killings?
I want to drop the words Hurriyat,
Jihad and Allah from this conversation and keep it only to the deaths are being
caused because of the use of force from the mighty army on little children.
Lets say I
protest in Delhi today would I be shot at? What sort of force would the
security forces use on me? Probably water canons? Lets say I loose my cool and
physically assault them then what sort of force would they use on me? Probably
lathis. Lets say I pelt stones on them then what sort of force would they use
on me? Tear gas? And finally if I behaved like a lunatic because I feel
oppressed would I still be shot at? In Delhi or Mumbai – NO. In Kashmir – YES.
I don’t want
to argue about the might or the force. The right or the wrong. I just want you
to know that your words “WE WILL SHOOT YOU” are ringing in my head and its
scary. It’s scary because its not limited to insurgents, millitants or
terrorists. I haven’t even challenged you but you’re scaring all of us.
I’ll also
admit that at this point I get a feeling that the same thought process is being
used irrespective. On unarmed ten year olds. Dear Major Arya there is no might
there. There is no might in blinding them. There is no might in crippling them.
There definitely is no might in killing them. Lets get off of our high horses
and see this as human beings.
I hope this
letter somehow trails back you so that you can see this from a simpler point of
view. I hope that you can get to sit across me and look me in the eye and say
there if there is any might or virtue in this. Just recently a mighty soldier
of your army was denied cremation on basis of his caste. What happened to his
mighty sacrifice? Did he die in vain?
You are an
army officer. I’m a civilian. Neither of us are politicians nor do we need
votes. Lets just be honest and save the ones we can.
And lastly,
please don’t get me wrong. I feel that even after reading your letter another
child is shot in the name of patriotism, nationalism you’d have done more harm
than good.
Signed –
Anyone in Kashmir.
A comment on Mr. Wasim Khans
letter.....
Ajay Ukidve
The sins of
the Fathers visit the sons. In this case the father I feel is Cha Cha (SIC) Nehru, and a host of others who followed, and things have come to this pass.
Though the Author has rather over simplified a very complex problem I tend to
agree with him. The psychological complexity of the response of the Forces
deployed in Kashmir and along the LOC have to be taken into account for their
actions. though by no means such happenings can be justified.
This reminds
me of Sun Tzu the great Chinese General and what he wrote 2500 years ago in his
treatise The Art of War.
Said Sun Tzu:
When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's
weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a
town, you will exhaust your strength.
Again, if
the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the
strain.
Now, when
your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your
treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your
extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences
that must ensue.
If you interpolate this with the situation in the valley today and read
"when your minds are dulled instead your weapons" then one tends to
get nearer to the answers of the present state in Kashmir. When the Security
Forces have been deployed since Independence, staying away from their families,
children and normal peace life for such long periods , then psychological
results ensure that the consequential incidences described by Mr. Wasim Khan
are bound to happen.
The
assumption that violence is a virtue in itself and a powerful means to solve
social or political problems becomes stronger day by day. Terrorism/Insurgency
can be healed only when such people understand the mistaken non logic of any
ideology that inspires terrorism and incites to violence—and when they realize
that going along with it can never get them anywhere. Until those ideologies’
errors and contradictions are revealed, all measures taken against terrorism
can be short-term. Terrorism will emerge again, in different places and under
different circumstances, behind a different mask.
Unfortunately it is very
difficult to change human perceptions upon which is based the world view of
individuals. Over a period of time these perceptions become beliefs and finally
truths.
Another
factor is materialistic tendencies which go as far back as Darwin’s theories of
survival of the fittest. How one perceives this maxim will depend how
susceptible one is for indoctrination based upon the root cause. Man has been
searching for a way to heaven for thousands of years, if somebody preaches that
salvation can be only through this or that particular religion, the ideologies
become even stronger.
When political and materialistic ambitions come in, then this becomes a
dangerous and potent combination as far as turning a normal human being into an
insurgent/ terrorist goes. Examples are galore from ancient times to this day.
The only
thing I can ask these Politicians, of whom more than 50% happen to be criminals and self serving
corrupt SOB's who are and have been in government since 1948, its time for them
to sit down and think up a viable strategy which can bring to an end this
festering problem. If this does not happen soon then I am afraid we the people
of India will have top pay for the consequences. Believe me that aspect of this Nation paying will not be pleasant. It will definitely shake the foundations of this country.
Leave the Army out of this put them back in barracks, The Army will ensure that
our enemy across the border, who may try to interfere in this process will have
their OIO cut off and shoved down their throats. But I implore these politicians to come to their senses in time forget about power, votes, religion and dynasty or what ever these sods think in terms of, and get down to the business of serving the country and try to contain the damage in Kashmir we have inherited from our not so August fathers.
