Nothing but the truth

Letter February 02, 2013
Indian journalists in their books present a grotesque account of inhuman behaviour of the Indian forces.

PESHAWAR: “Look again,” said the army colonel, in a tone that betrayed suppressed excitement. This time, I finally saw. It was a head, the disembodied face of a slain soldier nailed onto a tree. “The boys got it as a gift for the brigade,” said the colonel, softly, but proudly.” These are a few lines from Indian journalist Barkha Dutt’s article “Confessions of a War Reporter” published in 2001 in which she narrates the tale of how she witnessed a decapitated Pakistani soldier’s head at Kargil that the Indian soldiers (referred to as ‘boys’) had brought as a medal of bravery. The overwhelming pleasure of the colonel spoke volumes for the sadistic tendencies prevalent among the Indian forces. It is surely not surprising that they may harbour traits similar to that of the Mongol army as they have trained themselves well in Jammu and Kashmir by carrying out brutal offences and serious human rights violations with the full blessings of the Indian state.

Harinder Baweja, the editor of Hindustan Times, in her book A soldier’s diary: Kargil, the inside story presents a grotesque account of inhuman behaviour of the Indian forces in the following manner: “The experience of 18 Garhwal show another side of the war … one of them took out his knife and slit the head of the Pakistani soldier in one stroke. … the head was pinned to a tree trunk … the enemy head, a grisly trophy, became an exhibition piece. Major Gen Puri came down from Mughalpura to see it.”

These blood-curdling truths had remained hidden from the Indian citizens until some journalists could not keep their audience ignorant and be fed only half-truths by the authorities. Everyone has the right to know the reality. And here it exposes the true faces of those that our forces stand guard against.

Professor Kabil Khan

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2013.