In recent times, Kashmir has been a subject that has been widely spoken within India and at the international level. The reasons are mainly org the G-20 conference at Srinagar and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Kashmir still needs to be projected in the way it should have been for the great historical traditions of the region, starting from Rishi Kashyap, the epicentre of Hinduism and Buddhism, the rule of the Dogra Dynasty and the subsequent rise of Islam. Kashmir possesses a tremendous cultural heritage. The time has come to show the world the faithful Kashmir that it is – ‘Heaven on Earth’.
The population size of young people in J & K is about 2.5 million, part of the Indian youth, constituting a significant portion of the population. It is a spirited and ingenious section of our society that desires to scale significantly. Their energies require proper channelling to put the nation on a high trajectory of growth and development. Careful nurturing is needed for these vital human resources. The youth of J & K wants to contribute to the development of the society. But this process was hindered in J & K due to the terrorism abetted and supported from across the border, leading to economic instability, unemployment, poverty, etc.
Usually, radicalisation and alienation are mainly interconnected. When alienation breeds, it gives way to radicalisation and vice-versa, encouraging recruitment to militant ranks. The process of alienation is deep-rooted in history. In Aug 1953, when Sheikh Abdullah lost power, his political misadventures combined with his strategy of politicisation of religion was one of the reasons that later paved the way for fundamentalism the phase of in the Kashmir valley in the 1980s.
Pakistan engineers the basis for radicalisation and alienation, and separatists like the Hurriyat Conference accelerated this radicalisation by adopting numerous plans and
programmes. This factor has been in vogue since the 1990s, and Pakistan wants this radicalisation to spread across Kashmir to mislead the youth in the name of the ‘Fake Freedom Movement’ agenda in Kashmir.
A fresh spurt in radicalisation has been witnessed in recent times mainly due to the insensitive statements from political leaders from Kashmir Valley and the electronic media with vested interests. Due to such vociferous voices and political rhetoric, young Kashmiris with impressionable minds develop a feeling of uncertainty about their future with the rest of India. As a reaction to such insensitive statements and media debates, the alienation and radicalisation of Kashmiri youths has spiked. Portrayed as Martyrs by the separatists, these incidents create feelings of vengeance and dissent towards the govt.
A large part of Kashmir valley has witnessed killings in the last three decades due to numerous reasons. Combined with the elimination of trts who were earlier being.
The youth of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered tremendously in the shadow of the gun for the last three decades. Their education and development suffered since families were absorbed in the day-to-day challenge of survival. As a result, they lost out on employment opportunities and entrepreneurship. It is to the credit of the Indian Army that it understood the need to keep the youth engaged with the aspiration of a better future. The Army has been making efforts through various means to bring the State and youth into the mainstream of the country’s growth trajectory.
One must accept that the Army in the valley has a different mandate. With its wider access, the Army has a strong footprint in the valley. The Army has been playing a pivotal role in rebuilding the social setup of the valley. Yet the Army has its limitations, elaborated in the succeeding paras.
Hence, the management of the problem and its resolution must come from the political process. The Army can only play the role of a facilitator by maintaining peace so that there is scope for the political process and the civic administration to function correctly. The more the Army expands its role, the more vulnerable it will get embroiled in the management of affairs beyond its charter. Despite the Army’s non-military contribution to the State of J&K, through its ‘Winning Hearts and Mind’ programmes and Operation Sadbhavna, the Army remains an Instrument of State’s policy and a strong pillar of Democracy. As a result, the animosity towards the State is channelled through the separatists by targeting the Army. So, actions of the Army with good intentions are also always viewed with suspicion by the misguided population. The more the Army moves into non-military areas, the more it will be at a tangent towards the political processes.
Whenever the Army starts any new programmer, irrespective of the nobility of its purpose, there will always be wariness, which will limit its scope and, to a large extent, prevent the Army from reaching the people who can make a difference.
To re-integrate the ‘Awaam’ with the national mainstream and blunt the proxy war, the Indian Army launched the project in J&K to address the aspirations of locals. The project aims towards advancing the overall fundamental social indices of Education, Women Youth Empowerment and Health care with a simultaneous thrust on capacity building.
To involve the youth in gainful and constructive activity, the Army established several Youth Employment Guidance Nodes to provide information regarding employment opportunities. Vocational Training Centres were also set up to train the local population in a trade of their choice, including women.
The project launched by the Army and modelled after the well-known ‘Super 30’ programme of Bihar has elicited excellent responses and results year after year. The Army has been holding regular recruitment rallies to fill vacancies in various segments. These are being attended by thousands of candidates every year, which proves the success of the project.
Running youth empowerment centres, computer classes, coaching classes for higher education, vocational training centres, sporting events, etc., in its comfort areas have short-term goals and don’t provide long-lasting impressions. Measures recommended to be incorporated for fruitful engagement are elaborated in succeeding paras.
The Army can institute several scholarships and coaching programs funded by the Central Government in urban schools, colleges, and universities. While some of these can be named after local Kashmiri heroes, some can be named after military greats. These scholarships should enable the students to study in some of the better institutions in the rest of India. The students should be allowed to opt for vocational institutes if they so desire. This way, they can see the other side of the uniform.
The Army frequently takes groups of students from smaller Kashmiri towns or villages on an ‘Integration tours or sight-seeing tour. Similar tours could be conducted, again in urban areas, but not to see historical monuments only, but to military institutions like the National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy or the Air Force Academy. The tours can also be to major industrial towns to kindle the feeling of entrepreneurship amongst promising youth. The endeavour should be towards selecting late-teens so that such visits have an inspirational and aspirational value.
Lectures and motivating talks should be officer-led. Recruitment should not be restricted to recruiting soldiers; instead, efforts should be made to guide the youth for SSB and further selection in NDA/ IMA or other Officer Training Academies. A services preparatory institute funded by local government can also be opened in J& K.
Cricket is growing very fast in the region. Players like Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik have risen nationally and become youth icons in the State. Khelo India and other talent hunt events will give youth opportunities to showcase their potential. Army, as such, has a rich sports culture that can be integrated with the different initiatives. Promoting sports culture and encouraging youth towards sports will give handsome dividends in years to come.
The youth of today is immensely energetic and possess great potential. They need to be guided in a suitable direction focusing on new India. The government and Army can collectively expedite the integration of the youth of J & K into the mainstream with a focused approach. De-affiliation is a long-term process that requires the continuation of ongoing efforts. After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the government made conscious efforts to address the youth of J & K, and a positive result was also evident in society. Still, a lot needs to be done, and the Army will undoubtedly find its place in this process.
