Now not only the politicians but army generals too talk about the necessities for a dialogue and political outreach to restore normalcy and political stability in Jammu & Kashmir state. This time not a retired army general but a serving top commander of the armed forces Maj General B.S Raju the incumbent Chief of the Victor Force in Kashmir valley has said that the ultimate solution to the crisis in Kashmir is only dialogue and political reach out. The army general’s statement is in total contradiction to the approach of the incumbent Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who has been overtly and covertly turning down the demands for dialogue and political reach out in Jammu & Kashmir. Denying official recognition to the efforts of civil society group of concerned citizens headed by former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha a top BJP leader is also in contradiction to the spirit of the statement of the top serving army general Raju on political reach out in Jammu & Kashmir. As far as the terms and conditions for dialogue are concerned the army general has not role in setting the terms and conditions for dialogue but only a political reach is the only way to know about the workable terms and conditions for any dialogue in any situation in any part of the world and same holds good for Jammu & Kashmir state. Interestingly the army general who has talked about the necessity for a dialogue and political reach out is dealing with the counter militancy operation in South the worst hit by public unrest last year and upsurge in militancy during last more than two and a half year PDP-BJP coalition rule in the state. What deserves the attention of the central government is the Victor Force is responsible for counter-insurgency operations in South Kashmir. Since the army general’s statement has come six months after the civilian unrest forced the Election Commission of India (ECI) to cancel the bye election to South Kashmir parliamentary constituency, it won’t be advisable for the incumbent Modi government in Delhi to take a lenient view of the advice of the top army general presently dealing with the situation in the restive parts of South Kashmir.
The army general’s statement is also an endorsement of the general views on army’s difficulties in dealing with the public response to arm twisting methods in Kashmir valley and the necessity for dialogue and political reach out in the state.
By all standards of human understandabilities the army general commanding the most troubling parts of South Kashmir has now set the rules for Modi government for fresh political engagement in Jammu & Kashmir state and it is now for the present dispensation in Delhi to respond to the situation in Jammu & Kashmir the time when only one and less than half year is left for the conduct of next parliamentary elections in the country. The army general’s statement is also an endorsement of the general views on army’s difficulties in dealing with the public response to arm twisting methods in Kashmir valley and the necessity for dialogue and political reach out in the state.
