Beware the naked man who offers you his shirt– Title of book written by Harvey Mackay
The revelation by the ex-army chief Gen VK Singh that the army was secretly paying money to mainstream politicians in J&K ever since independence has come as music to the ears of the separatist camp. Consequently, this very person whom they once loved to hate for portraying a warped picture of the security situation in Kashmir just to ensure continuation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in J&K, has today become an apostle of truth for them. Remember, it was Gen Singh who had ridiculed the separatists call for removal of AFSPA by saying, “We are unnecessarily playing into the hands of separatists for whom this (AFSPA) is a beating- stick.” However, all seems to have been forgotten, since the ex-army chief has now presented the separatists with a new beating- stick!
There is no doubt that Gen Singhs claim of the army making secret payments to democratically elected politicians in J&K is a damning indictment of New Delhis Kashmir policy and this would certainly strengthen the ongoing struggle for the right to self determination. Infact, based on this revelation, the JKLF chairman Yasin Malik has already made a fervent appeal that this should serve as an eye-opener for the international community and they must themselves see that India is only keeping its grip on Kashmir through oppressive and bribing means. However, instead of going into a euphoric trance and shouting Eureka from roof-tops, the separatists should tread with caution to ensure that they do not unwittingly end up being used as pawns in a shady game that is being played between New Delhi and Gen Singh.
This may sound negative and I may appear to be an incurable pessimist, but with the long history of dubious games being played in Kashmir, one has learnt not to take anything on its face value. Moreover, when it concerns an ambitious ex-General who is now into political maneouvering, there are all the more reasons to be wary. That Gen Singh has an axe to grind with the UPA government is no secret and he himself has claimed that, “I am being targeted because some people in the political circles feel that I am uniting the veterans who have not got a good deal even from the UPA Government.” So, could it be possible that Gen Singh has opened a can of worms regarding the army making secret payments to politicians in Kashmir just to spite the UPA government? Unlikely, as this would be akin to a suicide attack in which, while the target (UPA government) may or may not be destroyed, the bomber (Gen Singh) would surely perish. Then, what could be reason for Gen Singh to have made this claim?
Many feel that it was the report of the army inquiry regarding misuse of secret funds by Technical Support Division (TSD) created by Gen Singh, which had been intentionally leaked by the government officials to embarrass Gen Singh that left him with no other option but to spill the beans. Infact, Gen Singh himself has lent credence to this apprehension by saying that, “After the report surfaced, a number of burning issues were pushed to the background. Was this not a reason behind leaking the report…all this was done deliberately to create a smokescreen and divert the attention of the people?” Even if one were to agree with this viewpoint, would Gen Singh have been so naïve as to accept that he was involved in making secret payments to politicians and thus cut his own nose just to spite the governments face? Surely, there is more than what meets the eye and this is what should make the separatists cautious.
Even though the claim of clandestine payment to J&K politicians has come from a person no less than the ex- army chief, his anti-government stand and sharing the dais with Narendra Modi has certainly made his revelations questionable in the eyes of the international community. Moreover, while separatists have often raised the issue of Kashmir being under the complete control of the army, there is not a single instance of any member nation of the international community (save perhaps Pakistan), ever having expressed this view. Even former interlocutor Prof Radha Kumar who considers Gen Singh to be anti-Kashmiri, has gone on record to say, The team of interlocutors visited Kashmir so many times and we met people, Army officials and political leaders. We never felt that Army was funding JK ministers. Lastly, since it was the army itself that pointed out this irregularity, the chances of organisational complicity are bleak. Therefore, expecting this disclosure to cause any radical changes in the existing stance of the international community as regards their Kashmir policy may be wish-full thinking.
However, so excited were the separatists when Gen Singh said that, paying ministers is nothing new in J&K. It has been happening since independence and everybody would have known about this- it is not something invented by V K Singh, that never for a moment did they pause to think as to what had motivated the ex-army chief to make such an incriminating disclosure. Had they done so, then maybe they would have realised that this revelation was made, not to spite any government or as an act of atonement, but simply as a means of self-preservation. Readers will recall that it was an internal army inquiry instituted for probing irregularities in the functioning of the TSD that first revealed that money had been paid to a politician in Kashmir. If this was indeed an accepted army practice right since independence (as being claimed by Gen VK Singh), then why should the army inquiry report have mentioned it as an irregularity?
In the ultimate analysis, it emerges that an ex-army chief, indicted by his own former organisation for financial irregularities, is simply attempting to obfuscate the issue and dilute his own culpability by making it appear that he was merely following a practice that had been going on since ages. And the irony is that the very separatists whom Gen Singh has treated with utmost disdain all along, are now hailing him as he has brought to fore the truth and lauding him by saying that the former Army chief has given undeniable proofs of this truth as well as for having brought to fore the truth of Kashmir. Seeing all this, one has no option but to admit that Gen Singh has proved that in civil life, he can adroitly use his tongue as effectively as he could a gun, when he was in the army!
Gen Singh has indeed played his cards very cleverly and with the separatists as well as the mainstream political parties demanding an inquiry into the secret payment scam, the ex-army chief has ensured his own safety. For should the government decide to go-ahead and prosecute him for having used his TSD to indulge in unconstitutional activities of paying off politicians,( which Gen Singh has himself admitted to), then the right- wing political parties and powerful ultra-nationalist groups will certainly mobilise an anti-government public opinion by calling it appeasement of anti-national forces in Kashmir. And with the general elections nearing, can the scam- ridden and floundering UPA government afford to take such a step? Your guess is as good as mine!
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