ArjunPandit wrote:Karan M wrote:Gen Hasnains options for Indias response. Please especially focus on the military options.
While his logic of appeasing the Kashmiris may be sound from the tactical part of securing the hinterland, I fear he completely misunderstands how frustrated the average Indian is with rabid Kashmiris who want Indian dole but abuse/attack Indians at the same time. It's not some RW cadre as he puts it, being from a hierarchical, top down org, I feel he doesnt understand public sentiment and how it suddenly coalesces.
https://m.rediff.com/news/interview/pak ... Elk7TZrXgg
Karan sir, that guy has spent years on ground. Having been there at a time when every kid would shout anti india lessons. He was there at the time of papa 2 and other centers. Respectfully, I disagree I doubt he doesnt know how does public sentiment coalesces. I think he also knows that under stress it fades pretty quickly. All these people on road will start wilting 2 days without electricity and water.
Kashmiri Ms are the most thankless and entitled set of people, period. Their excuses of taking up guns is absolutely rubbish. My friends were slapped in Prayagraj (then allahabad) for hanging out after a binge beer drinking session mercilessly. None of them took up guns. (They started getting the booze in hostel, with a few cans/bottles to guards.) When has been police nice to most of us. I have been hassled by police, before I knew someone whose name I could drop. But again this way of handling Kashmiris goes against our interests. That is a battle for later date, right now it is essential to tackle the institutional support, that is pakistan. As long as pakistan, some of the muslims will keep on looking it as a heir to Mughal empire that will someday rule Indian subcontinent. This has been mentioned earlier. But again, this has to be done subtly and in a slow fashion. Right now the main target is pakistan and it needs to be finished, by end of 2030.
I am speaking of him unable to discern public sentiment coalescing in rest of India, not Kashmir.
He has served in the military and thinks the current outrage against Kashmiris is driven by cadre of political parties etc as I mentioned, because he likely thinks civilians too are part of a hierarchical organization and will be reacting to overt directives etc. In that he is wrong. I have seen military personnel make the same mistake before when dealing with civil disturbances. As a DC told one officer, per an incident I heard, sir you are looking for the man leading the mob, but it is called a mob for a reason.
The ordinary Indian is cheesed off at the murder of Indian troops, the thanklessness of many Kashmiris and their religious bigotry and then stone throwing, outrageous utterances. Hence, public sentiment has coalesced against them. It has been a long time in coming. In the late 90s, I recall Kashmiri students coming to different cities and many were outright trouble makers. What saved them was the fact they were students, cops generally tend to go easy on kids, and most Indians were unaware of the bloody turmoil in Kashmir. Now, it's a whole different story. These same "students" are open with their subversion and arrogance on social media opening the eyes of many people, beyond how much the media tries to whitewash it.
Gen Hasnain wants the rest of India to deal with Kashmiris softly. I am pointing out that is not within any parties hand to give, anymore. And depends on the Kashmiris behavior as well.
Instead of asking Indians to swallow their anger and keep mollycoddling the Kashmiris, perhaps the time has come for the IA to just assume a hostile populace and get the manpower to secure their logistics accordingly.
I appreciate he wants the state to treat Kashmiris softly, for a multitude of reasons but the states relationship with its citizens is a two way street.
From stone pelting, to murderous mobs attacking the very tourists who provide revenue, to sponging off of the tax revenue of India, how much patience should India or Indians demonstrate?
I fear Gen Hasnain needs to understand that just soft measures may no longer work. Plus now he states we should involve foreign states and their clerics to deradicalize the Kashmiri youth. This idea is so flawed at multiple levels.
The very involvement of foreign states is something we have fought against for so long. And de radicalization via Indian clerics, we both know how that will end up.
