Slipping from control

Indian politicians may explode with rage over the suggestion that their country’s grip on the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir is loosening. But the truth is slowly beginning to dawn on the wider world as revealed by the respected Reuters news agency in a compelling account of the ground situation there. One of the more striking aspects of the unrest in Kashmir (and noted by Reuters correspondents) is the spontaneity with which the protests are being staged. And of course the violence is more pronounced and heated, as appears to be the seething anger of students against Indian rule. University students and youth leaders have crafted a whole new role for themselves in their struggle alongside “gun-toting militants in fatigues”, confusing all the police and paramilitary units that are fighting to bring them under control. Clearly the killing of Burhan Wani by the Indian forces in July 2016 has left a deep impact. An unnamed Indian army officer, cited by the news agency, spoke with some angst of the bigger challenge at hand: how to control protesters and how to engage with them. Their counter-insurgency manual — which perhaps shows them how to stem the flow of weapons and contain wider militancy — is silent on these matters though. Neither does it tell them what they ought to do when teenaged girls take to the streets as they did recently in a town south of Srinagar. Both the protests and the unrest have also spread to hitherto peaceful areas.

There is also no sign of the youth-led protests easing up anytime soon. Previous protests have been short-lived by comparison ending in a few weeks or months, producing a sort of revulsion for shutdowns and strikes. The intensity of the current wave has grabbed the attention of former officials who have served in the territory. Now is the time to read the writing on the wall.


Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2017.