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A simple and basic contrast based on truth and facts: the Indian Army was seen hosting Iftar, praying alongside Muslims, and promoting harmony in Kashmir, while Pakistan which calls itself a Muslim leader was bombing civilians and hospital in Afghanistan during the same sacred time.
I was scrolling through social media and I came across a heart-touching post of the Indian Army hosting an iftar party on the holy day of Shab-e-Qadr of the holy month of Ramadan Kareem. It evoked curiosity in me, and I started researching a bit on this, and I found out that the Indian Army has been doing this for decades in Kashmir during this month of blessings and good wishes, yet this sacred month of blessing is not the same for everyone. Our next-door neighbour, Pakistan, a self-claimed leader of Muslims, on the blessed night of Shab-e-Qadr, carried out indiscriminate bombardment of an Afghan hospital that reportedly killed around 400 and injured many. News reports also suggest that the Pakistan Army has been unleashing violence in regions it controls and illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, irrespective of any spiritual occasion. I myself saw visuals coming from Afghanistan; they were terrifying and painful, people wailing over dead bodies, ambulances rushing to the spot, rescue operations, rubble, people crying, and all sorts of disturbing scenes. I started to think, how can a country commit such an inhumane crime against humanity, that too a Muslim country, in sacred Ramadan and on the night of Shab-e-Qadr, against Muslims? But then I remembered, it is Pakistan I am talking about; when it comes to Pakistan, one can only expect nothing or anything, kind of strange and ironic to say, but painful. I am not painting this with the brush of religion, Islam, or Muslims, but being a Muslim, I know the sanctity and spiritual meaning of Ramadan and Shab-e-Qadr; seeing the visuals, one can’t imagine this sort of pain and terrorism in the name of anti-terror operations. Yet Pakistan shamelessly accuses the Indian Army of what it itself does to civilians; on one side, there were visuals of the Indian Army, who are majorly non-Muslims, promoting brotherhood, peace, and harmony in Muslim majority Kashmir, while on the other, there were the Pakistan Army, who call themselves Muslims, bombing hospitals and innocent Afghanis who happen to be Muslims. So, I thought of writing an article on this contrast between the armies of two countries, one with the message of peace and brotherhood and the other with guns and destruction; this is not about religion but about humanity and the approach of two armies.
Indian Army is widely known for its discipline and civility globally, so such human gestures are not new or surprising. Kashmir, a region that has long seen terrorism and turmoil at the hands of Pakistan, such events hold weight. How humane the Indian Army is, I can illustrate with a few examples. I still remember it was January 2020, on the Hangah–Handwara road, an elderly man in his 80s was struggling to cross a road, and an army man helped him cross it; the old man then kissed that army man’s hand and patted his shoulder. When I was a very small kid, an army man offered me bread; I asked what it was called, and he said “puri.” That was the first time I had a puri. If we talk about iftar parties, I heard from someone who attended that they had invited an orphanage to the event. Even in these iftar events, I myself saw non-Muslim army men praying namaz, eating with them, and off the same plate. When in school, we were raising funds for our school mosque, and many times army men gave huge amounts of money. I myself have seen army men repairing roads or clearing potholes for the ease of civilians. Even in times of emergency, the army has been utmost humane towards civilians, including women, kids, and elderly men, taking care of them. Even during the most sensitive situations, like anti-terror operations, the army would escort civilians to safer places or shield them. The army is often considered a lifeline during winters in hilly areas. These are just a handful of examples, normal as per their standards, but they never get credited for this, and honestly, they never crave it, even in imagination, but as a Kashmiri who receives and sees so much compassion and love from the army towards its people, I ought to admit it.
Then there is case 2: the Pakistan Army that runs the country. The recent bombardment of Afghanistan that has been going on for months now, and the recent bombing of civilians in a sacred and compassionate month, show how inhumane the Pakistan Army is—they did not spare civilians. The jailed PM, Imran Khan, and the hanging of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto are often cited; I often see videos from Pakistan where the army unleashes violence, be it in PoJK, PoGB, Baluchistan, or KP. In the recent protests in Karachi, Lahore, and PoGB, civilian casualties were reported. Every day, we hear about Pakistan’s grave human rights violations in territories it controls or occupies; every day we hear protests and slogans against the Pakistan Army, their posters being trampled. The army in Pakistan is an enterprise with sprawling businesses and control over national assets; water, electricity, cement; even in private forms like banking and real estate; it is not for nothing that it is called a “state within a state.” The people are Muslims, and the army is too, yet they cannot win their hearts or safeguard them; they have unleashed violence in Kashmir, a place they shamelessly call their jugular vein. How can they show compassion toward Afghans, that too in Ramadan or on Shab-e-Qadr? They appear like robots who lack compassion and emotions. Not too far in the past, In operation sindoor Indian army targeted terror facilities but Pakistan targeted civilians and civil infrastructure
It was a small comparison between the Indian and Pakistani armies, triggered by the surprise of a majorly Hindu Indian Army showing gestures of peace and harmony on Shab-e-Qadr, and Pakistan’s insane bombing of Afghanistan, killing hundreds on the same occasion. The rest, I thank Allah for being under the shadow of the Indian Army, not Pakistan, which kills civilians. I pray to Almighty Allah that peace, good sense, and harmony prevail in Pakistan, the subcontinent, and the entire world.
vadaiekashmir@gmail.com
