Those laying down their lives for the safety and security of their fellow citizens in Jammu & Kashmir cannot be sidelined in favour of a petty terrorist
Jaibans Singh
Sepoy Babloo Singh and Sepoy Vishal Chaudhary laid down their lives in service to the Nation on July, 30, while foiling an infiltration bid by Pakistani terrorists in the Nowgam area of District Kupwara, Kashmir.
On July 31, their bodies were flown to Delhi in an Air India plane and then sent to their hometowns in Army helicopters. Sadly, the last rites of Sepoy Babloo Singh and Sepoy Vishal Chaudhary have not elicited any attention whatsoever.
No doubt the Army did everything possible to pay tribute to its fallen
soldiers. A wreath was laid by the Chief of Army Staff personally at the Delhi airport. The media, however, failed to give to the cremation the attention that it deserved. In Kashmir, not even a
passing thought has been given to the brave hearts. No tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the brave hearts; no thanksgiving for the great service that the soldiers had rendered to the people of Kashmir.
The problem is that nobody in Kashmir has the time to think about such things. Over there the killing of a terrorist is causing a public frenzy, to the extent that the elected government is on its knees trying to pacify a few errant, anti-national forces. It seems as if the people of Kashmir have forgotten the atrocities and indignities that were heaped upon the region by foreign
terrorists infiltrated by Pakistan. They seem to have forgotten the dark nights when these foreign terrorists would came knocking at doors to demand food first and then the women of the house.
It seems that the present young
generation of Kashmir is not aware that the atrocities stopped only when the Indian Army, with the support of the Kashmiri themselves, neutralised the cult of terrorism. They have no value for the grievous loss of life and limb that the soldiers of the country suffered while performing this herculean task or for the sacrifices made by their elders. The continued thrust of infiltration and terrorist initiated violence in the Valley is an indication that the objective of the enemy to suppress and subjugate the region has not waned one bit.
Success is not coming their way because the Indian soldiers remain ever willing to protect their fellow citizens even at the cost of their own lives.
The spike in terrorism related
violence in the Valley and the internal unrest is a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to exploit the situation that has evolved after the killing of the terrorist Burhan Wani. Apart from attempting to enhance the threshold of violence, Pakistan has also launched a vicious Propaganda campaign to discredit the counter terrorism posture adopted by India in Kashmir.
It is astounding to note that a wanted terrorist like Hafiz Saeed is being allowed by the Government of Pakistan to go on air and demand that the Indian Home Minister should not be allowed to visit Pakistan because a terrorist like Burhan Wani has been killed in Kashmir. Things cannot get more
blatant than this. Wani was a terrorist and was responsible for the death of many innocents. Yet, at the behest of Pakistan, some in the Valley have the temerity of eulogising him as a hero.
This issue needs to be put to rest once and for all. Security forces do not have any political agenda, and as such, they would not make any distinction between Burhan Wani or any other terrorist. They would launch a counter-terrorist
operation in a professional manner, avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage, try to capture the terrorists alive and, if the tactical situation so demands, kill them in the shortest possible time .
This is the standard operating
procedure of the security forces and they are not likely to change the same anytime soon. The sacrifices of the Indian Army, and the people of the region, who have jointly defeated the cult of violence and terrorism, cannot go in vain. The likes of Burhan cannot be allowed to dominate the destiny of the region. Pakistan cannot be allowed to exploit internal weaknesses and contradictions and dominate the political narrative.
(The writer is editor of
www.defenceinfo.com)
