Indian Army; It is not 
what they asked for, it is not what they wished for, but it is what they needed in order to save them from the violence of radical terrorists & indeed is a blessing in disguise for the common people of J & K. For the last three decades, the people of J & K have been the unfortunate victims of proxy war & this has been the sole reason of majority of their problems. However, the Indian Army which is already performing the onerous task of guarding the borders from the external aggressor & combating militancy is also doing a lot to mitigate the sufferings of the people, as well as improve their quality of life, not only in urban & rural areas but also in extremely remote & inaccessible locations. Army has been deployed in the terrorism infected state of J & K by revoking AFSPA & giving special powers which enable army to handle internal turmoil & carry out a task that is usually out of their mandate. But when all cards fail, Indian Army is called for to handle extremely complicated & dangerous situations. Time & again, we have seen that army has chipped in & bailed civil administration out of seemingly unmanageable problems.
Though, we all keep hearing about the news of certain mishandlings & Human Rights violations by the Indian Army, but besides certain aberrations, a major chunk of such news is fake, which is either a complete lie or circulated to garner TRPs by media by maligning the image of the army. The fact of the matter is that, apart from few such incidents, army has proven to be the savior for the state, be it against terrorists, natural disasters or any other kind of help required by the civilians. The army has always responded in a very positive way & gone out of its ways to help the locals. It has proved to be an alternative & additional resource for the state, especially with regards to medical resources or educational institutions. The local Kashmiris are very comfortable & confident about sharing their problems with the army, they rely a great deal & prefer to approach army, rather than any other civil administrative agency.
‘Humsaya’ means the one who sticks with you in your thick & thin. This favouritism for the Indian Army among the civilians, over all other agencies, is a result of three decades of hardwork done by the army. And generation of this amount of faith, despite the nature of job & role that army plays in Kashmir, goes on to imply that it has been earned over the years by it’s professional & humane conduct. Due to the nature of its job & security concerns, army causes discomfort to the local people as well, especially during the operations, but it’s inescapable & aimed towards the larger goal of ensuring their safety. To compensate the hardships & ease the pain of locals, the army has been carrying out ‘Sadhbhavna’ activities. It is an initiative that covers all spheres of life, varying diversely from medical requirements to educational requirements & much more, all aimed at giving better opportunities to the civilians & improve the standard of their lives. All units deployed in Kashmir conduct various events such as Medical camps, vocational training programmes, scholarships, managing & running schools, distribution of rations & clothes to poor segments, sports competitions, village fairs, educational/ recreational tours etc. These are conducted at regular basis by the army. A special mention to a Women’s Cricket tournament conducted in Anantnag by the RR unit, which gave a ray of hope to the girls & women of Kashmir that they can achieve, whatever they want, be it any field. The women’s cricket team of Anantnag was later sponsored by Army & ASEEM foundation for their training & a tour to Pune.
The army here is enemy only to the terrorists, that spread violence & pick up weapons, thus threatening the locals & carry out their vicious agenda. Indian Army follows a strict code of conduct & operates only as per the laid down guidelines. Any deviation from it is dealt with necessary disciplinary action & award of requisite punishment as per the offence. This steely resolve to differentiate amongst right & wrong & do the right thing despite ensuing risk to life, is the reason that why the Army is Humsaya for the residents of J & K. Army plays a contradictory dual role for civilians & terrorists thereby justifying ‘Iron Fist with Velvet Glove’. They are responsible for maintaining peace, safety & security in the state & safeguard common citizens, at the same time they also are considerate about the well being of the locals. Even during operations, army never fires first & all possible efforts are made to induce surrender. In doing so, they put their lives in danger & have chances to draw fire from terrorists. There have been numerous incidents in which brave hearts have attained martyrdom in order to induce a surrender or protecting civilians.
If we observe closely, the concept of Kashmiriyat & the operating model of army are so similar. In fact, army could be the appropriate role model for the Kashmiris to idolize & resurrect & revive their age old custom of Kashmiriyat. Kashmiri leaders & intelligentsia should thus put parochial considerations aside & work on reviving the traditional pluralistic & truly secular credentials of Kashmiri society. Indian Army always has served as an example of national integration, secularism & sacrifice, it’s people centric initiatives in J & K have been a resounding success. Moreover, since it’s rank & file constitute of individuals from all over the country & belong to every caste, community & walk of life, it’s truly a ‘people’s army’ & it’s well known approach has created an exceptionally strong bond between people of Kashmir & the army.
