Along the high-altitude contours of the Kashmir Valley, the permanence of statecraft is measured not solely by the calibration of deterrence or the tactical geometry of fortified ridgelines, but by the quiet, daily intimacy shared between the soldier and the citizen, the Jawaan and the Awaam. In these borderlands, where geography enforces isolation and external forces relentlessly seek to exploit vulnerability through proxy warfare, the Indian Army under the Chinar Corps has long transcended the narrow confines of a conventional security garrison. Here, the local company commander and his troops are far more than the sentinels guarding the zero line against aggression from across the border. To the villagers nestled in remote mountain pockets, the company commander and his troops are the closest neighbours available in moments of quiet normalcy and acute crisis alike. When punishing winter blizzards choke mountain passes under deep snow or when unexpected fires engulf timber homes in isolated hamlets, it is the military post that steps forward as the primary first responder. This organic proximity transforms the uniform into an anchor of human solidarity, proving that true security is sustained when defence is coupled with genuine empathy and community care. Beyond tactical vigilance, every interaction on the ridgeline reinforces a shared destiny between the forces and the local population.
This philosophy of compassionate guardianship finds its most potent expression in the rolling momentum of Operation Drishti, a flagship humanitarian initiative that brings apex level ophthalmic care directly to the doorsteps of the valley. Building upon the pioneering benchmark established last year at the Command Hospital in Udhampur under the guidance of Lieutenant General Prateek Sharma, the General officer Commanding in Chief of the Northern Command, where over two thousand comprehensive screenings and more than four hundred complex surgeries redefined military medical diplomacy, Operation Drishti has now intensified its focus across the Chinar Corps. Avoidable blindness remains a silent thief of dignity in rugged mountain terrain, stripping elderly residents of their independence and casting long shadows over rural households. To confront this challenge, the Chinar Corps initiated an extensive series of screening camps throughout the summer months across remote pockets of the Kashmir Valley. Hundreds of patients, through these screening camps, received initial evaluations and care from top notch doctors of the Indian Army and from those comprehensive assessments, a total of 400 patients were selected for advanced surgical intervention.
To execute this mission with maximum precision and zero logistical friction for vulnerable villagers, Operation Drishti has been structured as a comprehensive mega cataract surgery camp running from 23rd September to 1st October 2026. Rather than forcing frail elders to undertake arduous, costly journeys across treacherous terrain, the Armed Forces Medical Services and the Chinar Corps have engineered a balanced, dual nodal delivery model that splits the 400 surgeries evenly across the region. Two hundred of these identified patients are receiving state of the art surgical care directly in Tangdhar, Kupwara.
By deploying specialised ophthalmologists, sterile field operating theatres and precision phacoemulsification technology straight into Tangdhar, the Army bypasses the formidable obstacle of crossing the high mountain passes and travelling hundreds of kilometres, allowing elderly Gujjar and Pahari villagers to receive micro incision surgery and foldable intraocular lens implants without ever leaving their home sub divisions. The remaining 200 identified patients are being treated at the legendary 92 Base Hospital in Badami Bagh Cantonment, Srinagar. For generations across the valley, 92 Base Hospital has held a sacred place in the collective consciousness as a sanctuary of healing where soldiers and civilians alike place implicit faith in the hands of its medical personnel. Whether treating combat casualties, victims of brutal terror attacks or civilians caught in severe natural disasters like the devastating floods of 2014, the hospital has earned a rare and universal reverence. When former President Late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited its wards, he aptly described the institution as a temple of healing, a sentiment whispered with deep gratitude by countless families who have watched its doctors work tirelessly around the clock to pull life and vision back from the brink.
Beyond immediate medical interventions and frontline crisis management, the Indian Army’s dedication to the Kashmir Valley is reflected in a continuous, year-round spectrum of civic and developmental outreach. Through the comprehensive framework of Operation Sadbhavana, the Chinar Corps proactively invests in the socio-economic upliftment of local communities by building infrastructure, repairing connectivity networks and establishing vocational training centres that equip young Kashmiris with marketable skills. From organising grassroots sports tournaments that channel youth energy into positive pursuits to setting up solar powered lighting systems, clean drinking water projects and computer labs in remote mountain villages, the soldier on the ground acts as an active catalyst of progress. This relentless grassroots engagement ensures that welfare reaches the most interior hamlets, transforming the military presence into an enduring partner in daily prosperity and local empowerment.
By pairing the forward zero-line capability of Tangdhar with the apex medical mastery of 92 Base Hospital, Operation Drishti bridges the immense divide between frontier isolation and world class healthcare. When the elderly villagers in Tangdhar or the 92 Base Hospital wake from surgery to remove their eye patches and gaze upon their family and the splendid peaks of Kashmir with crystalline vision, the moments will surely transcend medicine. It will stand as a tangible manifestation of a bond forged through shared hardship, mutual respect and an unshakeable commitment to the betterment of the people. In a region where external actors attempt to sow discord and despair through unprovoked aggression and proxy conflict, the Chinar Corps demonstrates that the truest strength of the Indian Army lies in its capacity to heal, to protect and to walk shoulder to shoulder as a friend in need. Operation Drishti will light up more than individual eyes; it will illuminate a renewed horizon of dignity, trust and enduring hope across the entire valley, standing as a true testament to an operation dedicated wholly to the betterment of the people
