In a statement that has generated deep resentment in Valley, the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has called for curbs on access to the internet in the state, as, according to him, militants often use social media for their activities. Speaking at the Facebook Live session at the ongoing Raisina Dialogue organised by the observer research foundation, General said, such curbs were necessary to create a safe and secure environment. The people in Kashmir, he said, would be willing to accept curbs on the internet temporarily so that terrorism can be dealt with.
Army chief also said that Kashmiris were tired of militancy as they had realized that they cant secede away from India. In recent past, General has made a barrage of statements which have specifically dealt with issues related to China, Pakistan and Kashmir. And most of such statements have run into controversies. China termed as unconstructive Generals statement that India needs to shift focus from its border with Pakistan to that of China and spoke of pressure being exerted by Beijing along the Line of Actual Control. And Pakistan termed as “very irresponsible” the statement by Rawat that India will call the (nuclear) bluff of Pakistan and “cross the border” if a task was given to the Army. Pakistan foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the General’s statement was an invitation for a nuclear encounter. Asif wrote on Twitter: “If that is what they desire, they are welcome to test our resolve. The generals doubt would swiftly be removed, inshallah.
General has also made several statements on Kashmir beginning with his call for overhauling education in J&K. The basic grassroots problem here is the way the education in Jammu and Kashmir in government school has been corrupted,” Rawat said. The state government reacted angrily to Rawat’s comments. Minister for education Syed Altaf Bukhari said it was “unacceptable” for an army chief to “meddle” in the state’s affairs.
There is certainly a reason for J&K government to be upset. In fact, a large majority of the people in the state have looked upon General’s statements with a degree of concern. In public perception, it only underlines an increasing securitization of the discourse on the state. It shows an urge to micromanage things even at the level of everyday governance. Education, internet are the domains of the state government elected by the people. And the security establishment should have no role in how the government is run.
At the same time, the administrative formulations suggested by the General are too simplistic to even begin to address the bewilderingly complex and historically rooted troubled situation in the state. As the General Rawat must be well aware of, even the killing of 218 militants in 2017, highest in last seven years has hardly helped reign in the militancy, let alone put an end to it. More than 200 militants are again active in Valley, a significant number of them local recruits. If anything, J&K needs a sustained and purposeful process of dialogue to address the factors underpinning the lingering turmoil in the state.
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