Deception Unveiled

Truth behind Operation Sadbhavana

India’s deceptive Operation Sadbhavana in occupied Kashmir by Asif Haroon Raja

The Kashmir region (Kashmir valley is left of the center of the map – see enlargement) (Photo

credit: Wikipedia)

Apart from the ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh’s deplorable role in 1947 of signing the

instrument of accession of the state to India against the wishes of people of Kashmir and

subsequent invasion and forceful occupation of two-third Kashmir by Indian forces, Kashmiris

have also been betrayed by their own leaders. Sheikh Abdullah who first lit the flame of hope of

liberty from Dogra Raj in early 1930s by forming National Conference, he let down his people by

becoming a courtier of India. When he became reluctant to ratify Article 370 of Indian

Constitution to make occupied Kashmir integral part of India, he was betrayed by Nehru whom

he regarded as his close friend and mentor. He was arrested and he languished in jail from

1953-58. He was again interned from 1958 to 1964 and again from 1964 till 1974. Once he gave

in he was appointed chief minister of the state in 1977 and died in 1982. His son Farooq

Abdullah and now his grandson Omar Abdullah are loyally serving the interests of India and

disregarding the miserable plight of people of Kashmir who have a long history of subjugation

and deprivation.

Besides Abdullah dynasty, there have been quite a few others like Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad

who sold their souls for the sake of power and pelf. These puppets enabled India to affect a

change in Indian constitution and make occupied Kashmir part of Indian Union. They allowed

India to consolidate its hold over the state by accepting continued presence of Indian security

forces, agreeing to impose governor rule frequently as well as draconian laws. They have

turned a blind eye to state terrorism resorted to by Indian forces and absence of justice. But for

the immoral role of these puppeteers cajoled by Indians but hated by people of Kashmir, India

could not have merged disputed Kashmir within Indian Union by incorporating Article 370

through constitutional amendment. Rigged elections were held under the barrel of the gun to

form state governments of choice and to sideline genuine leaders. National Conference and

Peoples Democratic Party which take turns to rule the state accept Indian rule in Kashmir.

English: jammu & kashmir (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

India claims the whole territory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) as integral part of Indian Union and

is in control of nearly 43% of former princely state. Areas under its illegal occupation since 1948

are Jammu, Kashmir valley, Ladakh. Pakistan considers Kashmir a disputed territory since it

draws strength from UN resolutions and wishes of the people of Kashmir. It controls about 37%

of Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir. China controls 20% of area which includes Aksai Chin,

adjacent to Tibet and Shaksam valley in Trans-Karakoram Tract. Latter region had been ceded

to China by Pakistan in 1963 following border agreement.

Encouraged by their success in snuffing out Khalistan Movement in East Punjab, the Indian

security forces wanted to repeat their success story in occupied Kashmir as well. With that

motive in mind, they unleashed a reign of terror and torture in their futile bid to subdue the

freedom struggle waged by the valiant Muslims of occupied Kashmir since October 1989.

English: Source:Kashmir in India. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pakistan could do little to help the Kashmiris in duress since India aligned itself with USA in 1991

while Pakistan fell from grace of USA. Taking advantage of Pak-US frosty relations, India tried

hard to project freedom movement in Kashmir as Pakistan backed terrorism. The US supported

India’s point of view and put Pakistan on the terrorist watch list. New rules framed on terrorism

in the aftermath of 9/11 and Pakistan’s deep involvement in war on terror on its own soil made

things even more difficult for Pakistan to pay due attention to Kashmir. Having effectively

fenced and fortified the LoC through troop deployment, posts and mines, and spread a network

of intelligence operatives and overstuffed the small valley with 700,000 troops, together with

imposition of black laws and license to kill suspected militants and sympathizers in fake

encounters, it became near impossible for Kashmiri Mujahideen based in AJK to go across into

occupied Kashmir. Musharraf’s out of box idea and division of APHC by India with the help of

Musharraf weakened the freedom movement.

English: Maharaja of Kashmir, Hari Singh (1895- 1961) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From 2008 onwards, Pakistan faced multiple crises. It was confronted with futile war on terror,

foreign backed insurgents and terrorists, resettlement of flood affecters, crumbling economy

and unstable political and social conditions. In the wake of Mumbai attacks, India’s posture

became highly belligerent and it was fully backed by USA and western world. Pakistan neither

had the resources or the stamina to stretch its neck out and fish in troubled waters. Troop

density in Kashmir is unprecedented. Kashmir has become the most militarized territory in the

world. The ratio of troop to civilian comes to 1:7. No trouble spot in the world has so many

troops and that too in so small a valley. When the valley got engulfed with unarmed movement

by the youth following Amarnath Shrine Board incident in 2008, and got more explosive in

2009, 2010 and 2011 owing to participation of small kids with stones in their hands chanting

Azadi slogans, the world took little notice of indiscriminate use of force by Indian forces against

unarmed civilians, including children, women and elderly people. Large number of teenagers

got killed. India didn’t allow international human rights groups and humanitarian organizations

to visit the open prison. The US and western media remained mute. The US State Department

expressed its usual bias by issuing occupied Kashmir map recently in which AJK was shown as

part of it.

English: Shalimar Gardens (Kashmir, India) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Indian leaders keep harping that J&K is integral part of India and keep seeking a solution within

Indian constitution. It has always resorted to cosmetic measures and avoided result oriented

talks. Indian FM Krishna came to Islamabad last year for talks without a mandate and without

any liberty of action. It is often said that dialogue is the only solution for Kashmir dispute. The

big question is that India who has the key follows a single track policy. It doesn’t consider

Kashmir a disputed territory and insists that Kashmir is an integral part of India and doesn’t

changes its stance under any circumstance and also doesn’t allow third party mediation or

facilitation. Its sole aim is to keep buying time and hoping that the other two stakeholders

would get exhausted and give up. With such a perverse mindset, resolution of Kashmir dispute

through process of dialogue is not possible.

English: Sir Hari Singh Bahadur (1895-1961), Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, 1920. (Photo

credit: Wikipedia)

Instead of solving the dispute, India is taking full advantage of Pakistan’s precarious internal

security situation and tumbling economy and is not only playing Balochistan card to force

Islamabad to lay its hands off Kashmir but has also embarked upon a comprehensive welfare

oriented program in Kashmir Valley known as Operation Sadbhavana. This program had been

initiated in Ladakh in 2000 and is now being pursued by 15 Corps Commander Lt Gen Hussain

from 2008 onwards to win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris. The youth are being recruited in

police and CRPF. Military commanders are interacting with students and impressing upon them

not to take part in armed or unarmed protest movements and are offering them incentives.

These measures have apparently helped in defusing unarmed movement which had become

explosive. Even refugees based in AJK are being induced with a package of rupees ten lacs to

return to their homes and many have returned. They are also being helped in getting settled in

Europe or USA. Purpose is to weaken the base camp in AJK. Notwithstanding India’s pacification

measures, Indian military’s brutality against those seeking freedom or absorption into Pakistan

is continuing as heretofore. Entire families of freedom fighters including the returnees from AJK

are being systematically eliminated. In addition, Hindus from Ladakh and India are being settled

in the valley to gradually change the demography.

The writer is a retired Brig and a freelance defence analyst. Email:asifharoon7751@yahoo.com