By Kamal Baruah
They sneaked into the battlefield, packed their kits, locked travelling trunks inside barracks and finally jumped onto the trucks to Kashmir. The life of a soldier moved on into the chaos and lawlessness that took over the valley. Most of them were just 18+ and knew nothing about combating terrorism and instead planned a special celebration after the Republic Day Parade. The contingent seemed to be filled with joie de vivre after the best marching trophy at Rajpath but an order shocked them like a horrible nightmare.
The Transit Camp at Race Course Road was spooked that night like never before. All previous postings had been cancelled by Vayu Bhawan. They had no idea about it. It was the day prior to the grand finale of RD Parade 1990, when the Rawalpora shooting incident took place. On the morning of January 25, motorcycle-borne terrorists fired from automatic weapons at unarmed IAF personnel killing Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna, Corporal D.B. Singh, Corporal Uday Shankar and Aircraftman Azad Ahmad, while they were waiting at the bus stand.
The military strategy towards the valley had been reviewed. Soldiers moved with convoys on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. Men in blue became no longer friendly with the valley. Pakistan-sponsored terrorism through misguided Kashmiri youth in the name of azadi and insurgency by Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front(JKLF) escalated after the disputed assembly election in 1987 that forced five lakh Kashmiri pundits to leave the valley after a campaign of genocide started since January 19, 1990.
The recent movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ helped to awaken many to the horrors of genocides. I had a special connection with Kashmir valley as I had also been part of that RD Parade contingent over the timeline of Kashmir during the 90s. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was then the Home Minister during the VP Singh government whose fame rivalled that of Chief Minister Faruq Abdullah for appointing Jagmohan as Governor. Soon the CM resigned, the Governor suggested the dissolution of the Assembly and JKLF conspired to incite riots and violence against the Kashmiri Pandits.
No one has listened to them although they numbered over half a million. This is how human rights was reckoned as trivial in Kashmir. The world had also turned a blind eye to over 1000 murders of innocent unarmed and helpless men, women and children which had taken place in the valley over the span of one and a half years at the hands of trained self-styled freedom fighters of Kashmir. They were packed shoulder to shoulder on the road and became refugees in their own country. Refugees suffered, died of infection and disease in overcrowded camps.
Kashmir belongs as much to Kashmiri Hindus as to Kashmiri Muslims. The propriety of the citadel of human awakening and freedom had ignited the complete exodus of the entire race while the civilized nations of the world failed to respond to the barbaric uprooting of an entire race of people.
The valley also suffered from the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) at the same time. Soldiers faced threats from militants for being uniformed personnel. Facing Quick Response Training (QRT) was tough because of the dreadful wild-weather of winds, rains and cold bites. As nights were compulsory blacked-out, we lost our way in the dark and then suffered sudden snowfall. The rays of the morning sun reflected back from the thin blanket of snow trapped over the surface that blurred our eyes. The silent valley was unpredictable and catastrophically unsafe. You never know when a bullet from an AK-47 or a rocket launcher would land on us.
There was mortar shelling on forward posts along the LOC. Life was never easy. The troops lay behind barbed wires at the most wonderful mountain valley road at Uri-Muzaffarabad. Normal life often came to a grinding halt amid violence being unleashed by terrorists and separatists. But the most unforgettable memory of Kashmir is the colour of the mountains that changes at different hours of the day. We saw stunning snowfall hit the blue mountains all of a sudden. Then amidst the breeze we see olive green military posts. The picturesque panorama is not just beautiful but covered by tall grass where cannabis grows in abundance. The army intensifies its search for infiltrators along the three-tier border.
Over the years terrorists attacked pilgrims and escalated the valley to a conflict zone. Yet our energy and enthusiasm for life was very high. We went besides the Jhelum and Indus, beneath Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Ladakh at leisure despite unprovoked shelling over Jammu, Rajouri-Poonch. We also retaliated with missiles befittingly at the cross borders at Kargil. We felt alive seeing the river flow abundantly. The hustle-bustle of shikaras, houseboats and the grace of paradise suffered a major jolt. The travel and tourism industry suffered a great jotl due to the unrest and uncertainties. Nevertheless Kashmiri Muslims continue to struggle for the basic needs of life.
India professes to be a great secular democratic country. In the name of humanity the Government must do justice to the Kashmiri Pandits who have been relegated to the status of refugees in their own country.
(The author is a former air warrior)