Opinion | Kashmiri Perception of the Role of the Indian Army

From barren and desolate to a peaceful and beautiful paradise, the Indian Army turns the tide! Syed Aaliya

The Indian Army, a multi-tasking institution, has been rigorously providing safety and security to the people of Kashmir and takes pride in sacrificing their family life for the nation. Millions of pages would not suffice to describe the role and importance of the Indian Army in Kashmir, as they have saved Kashmir from becoming like Afghanistan and other rogue states.

The significance of the Indian Army’s role in Kashmir is not only in terms of security but also in the domain of socio economic development of the place. From winning hearts and minds to enhancing the quality of life for the local populace the motto of the Indian Army has always remained clear i.e. service before self believing that the service is their duty and the slogan goes like “SEVA ASMAKAM DHARMA”. These words preserve the noble Indian ethos of service. When India was emerging from debris and shocks of partition, the raiders, fully supported by Pakistan, were knocking at the doors of Srinagar, the Indian Army saved Jammu & Kashmir successfully and thus began the glorious saga of the post-independence history of the Indian Army (IA).

Recognized globally for several exceptional qualities makes the Indian Army most respected and qualified military forces. Their strict adherence to discipline and professionalism, the Indian Army has played a significant role across various domains especially when we do the analysis of their contributions in Kashmir its more than protecting borders and people. There are significant milestones that the Indian Army has set here in Kashmir under youth engagement, women empowerment, peacebuilding and socio economic development.
Running several educational programs and initiatives such as operation Sadbhavana under which Army Goodwill Schools have been set, scholarships are offered to deserving students to pursue higher education within and outside kashmir, sponsoring many students to prestigious universities across India giving them access to quality education and career opportunities aiming to provide quality education and create opportunities for young people to access better livelihood.

Under operation Sadbhavana, the army made a significant contribution by setting up vocational training centres to impart skills among the youth and engaging them in economic activities like tailoring, carpentry, computer literacy, and mechanics encouraging self-reliance among the youth. Numerous sporting events and tournaments like football, cricket, volleyball helped channelize the energies of the youth of Kashmir towards productive activities and provided a platform to showcase the talent. Its recorded mostly female athletes and sports women got encouraged and came to the forefront for participation breaking the barriers of strict religious and cultural patriarchal influence in the region. Talking to the women in rural villages the joy of self-sufficiency was glittering from their eyes while narrating about the collective entrepreneurship and small businesses like handicrafts and agro industries they have set up under self help group (SHG) concept with assistance from Sadbhavana. It is rightly said Health is Wealth, but women and children in this matter are very much vulnerable, they are prone to infections and majorly are dependent for the treatment. Its again another landmark covered by the Indian Army for organising free health camps addressing maternal health, childcare and nutrition, providing free medicines and surgeries to the local populace, providing infrastructure support to hospitals, building roads and bridges, undertaking electricity and water supply projects, involving in disaster relief and humanitarian assistances, organising cultural exchange programs, festivals and local events.
Above all the major contribution and lead taken by the Indian Army was in restoring peace and development to the valley. By working on trust building and goodwill among the people of kashmir, the focus was completely shifted to developmental and humanitarian initiatives in order to counter the root cause of the alienation of the common youth from mainstream and development by curbing negativity and militancy. Now children can go to schools regularly, focussing on their education indicating their future is going to be safe and bright. No curfews, no shutdowns and protests has restored hope among youth that their enterprises and startups will flourish, their investments don’t get wasted and are safe. The hearts and minds approach of the Indian Army has done wonders in restoring peace and stability in Kashmir. From socio economic development to reducing violence it has built a confidence among the people and paved the way for peaceful, stable, prosperous and a way towards new kashmir “NAYA KASHMIR”.
In the end, when I asked my close friend Safieena about the army, she simply said that the Indian Army in Kashmir is the cornerstone and a peace ambassador, not only saving Kashmir from terrorism but also helping during natural and man-made disasters.
Aaliyasyedkmr@gmai.com