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08 OPINION THE TRIBUNE

CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 9 JULY 2018

THE TRIBUNE A twist to insurgency in Valley

established in 1881 Need for studied response to vulnerability of off-duty cops
Lt-Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) not sufficiently focused in terms of

Pakistan’s general elections psychological exploitation painting

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T is not the first time that a lone the local terrorists as villains among
Kashmiri policeman or soldier their own people. Naming and sham-
No end to structural duality with India has been abducted and killed. ing them in the local environment

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Javed Ahmad Dar is the
O Pakistan’s credit, the forthcoming general election will be a umpteenth policeman who while off
record in its national life. This is the first time the country will duty has been isolated and targeted,
have a third successive tryst with elections without an inter- once again in notorious Shopian. A
ruptive interregnum by its army. That in theory should have suffi- number of Army soldiers have similar-
ciently empowered the democratic institutions to achieve a balance ly been targeted when off duty, on
of power with the security agencies which, in turn, should have leave and outside the organised sup-
ensured their equal say in defining the country’s policies, especially port of their units; the recent case of
in areas of acute concern to India: foreign policy regarding Kashmir. rifleman Aurangzeb is too well known
But the apex court’s blackballing of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter to reiterate. This includes Lt Umar
from the electoral fray suggests that the military has made the former Farooq of 2 Raj Rif who was killed in
Kulgam last year, first among the offi-
Prime Minister pay for his forays to repair ties with India.
cer cadre. All over India the public is
Yet Pakistan’s electoral arena is alive with several possibilities due
understandably frustrated at the loss
to the fractured ethno-linguistic positioning of the customary con- of these Kashmiri bravehearts with
testants — the Sharifs, the Bhuttos and Imran Khan along with the whose plight there is tremendous
possibility of participation by the flag-bearers of militant Islam. The empathy. To comprehend the limita-
army is prominently in the mix: to thwart the Sharifs and Bhuttos and tions in securing the men in uniform
implicitly side with proponents of national cohesion to perpetuate its and whether anything is deficient in
ideology of achieving strategic depth in Afghanistan and keeping the our ways it is important to get a meas-
pressure on India on Kashmir. India currently does not figure as a ure of the working environment of
major electoral issue but the Deep State’s extent of support to the security personnel in Kashmir. There
contestants will be defined by their approach to India. The Pakistan are domains to examine — first the
army has always detected an unwelcome autonomy whenever its functional on-duty aspect and second
civilian leadership responds to India’s peacemaking reachout. the off duty challenges, or on leave.
But the election has several twists and turns left. An Imran Khan vic- The Army functions as units. Thus
if a Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry
tory may swing the political pendulum towards the army. India could
(JAK LI) unit consisting 50 per cent
derive some measure of comfort because of the resultant politico-mili-
Kashmiri Muslims is deployed on
tary synergy bringing back a whiff of the later years of the Musharraf either the LoC or the hinterland, the
regime. However, the structural duality in Pakistan’s polity will persist functioning is all in sub-units of at
if Nawaz Sharif’s resolve to return to the country enlarges his vote least seven men (reduced section
catchment area. If his party falls short of a majority, Sharif’s travails strength); they could be deployed as
with the military might encourage the Bhuttos to lend the required just a buddy pair of two men but
numbers. The military is not keen on repeating Pakistan’s 20-year cycle under constant watch and control of
of seizing power but its duality of control will keep the pot boiling. another superior. The hallmark of
normal functioning in the Army is
that no deployment can ever be in
less than a buddy pair. The system of
places the pressure of ethics on local
terrorists (LTs), the lack of which robs
a local family off its bread earner.
How else can personnel travelling
on leave and inevitably going home
alone be better secured? The Army
has an SOP of personnel reporting
to the nearest posts but this affords
only token security. There have
been proposals to allow local securi-
ty personnel to carry their service
weapons while on leave. For many
reasons, including that of potential
desertion and snatching, this is not
Lower terrorist strength has made cops and soldiers on leave susceptible to being targeted. a doable idea. Providing additional
manpower for personal security to
ty is the highest among the Army’s nel manning police stations often live all is out of the question, resource
Territorial Army (Home and among the people and many times in wise. Buddy pair system for police-
Hearth) units in which the compo- their own homes. Under normal cir- men is possible up to a point and
sition of personnel is largely local cumstances that is the best way of definitely not on leave. The far bet-
and the units stay within the Valley. policing with local policemen in the ter way perhaps is to rouse the con-
The frequency of home visits by know of everything in and around science of the people but the estab-
personnel is higher, making them their abodes. However, with terror lishment has generally been weak
much more vulnerable. threats that makes these policemen at this, its so-called outreach has
The Army’s role and system of func- most vulnerable. been undefined and unimagina-
tioning obviously differs from the J & All personnel on leave have to visit tive; social media can be better har-
K Police (JKP), where the personnel their homes. In earlier periods of nessed through professional
are fully secure as they are deployed higher terrorist presence even notori- advice. A suggestion of collective
as armed police units. The Special ous tehsils such as Tral had an unwrit- social and economic retribution
Operations Group (SOG) also work in ten code and security men on leave against villages which cannot pro-
tect their own policemen or soldiers
is never a good idea as it has many
Foreign terror groups count the killing of on-leave security personnel negative spin-offs.
as achievements. But when local groups resort to this, there is loss of The enthusiastic response to recruit-
ment opportunities for entry into the
public sympathy for them. The JK Police needs to focus on portraying various security-related organisations
such killers as villains among their own people. is equally balanced by the huge
. turnout at funerals of terrorists. This is
the paradox of Kashmir which needs

Medical admission mess buddies ensures that even if one is

resting the other is alert. Mutual sup-
port is a basic principle on which
small teams but not so small as to be
isolated and targeted. For the conduct
of operations beyond intelligence
were usually not targeted even if
alone or in their homes. It is with low-
er terrorist strength that abduction,
greater ground-based research by
some advanced research institutions
because top of the head deductions will
Free rein to Punjab pvt colleges disadvantages poor students most training and execution gathering they work in close concert torture, uploading of videos and even- not assist in curbing the threat to those
depends. Terrorist abduction of a sol- with Army units which give them tual killing has become a norm. These who do service for the nation. As a

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HE Centre has provided the much-needed flexibility to students dier on duty is next to impossible, inherent security. personnel are the softest targets, starter, the identity of known perpetra-
by holding various entrance tests, including NEET, twice a year although there has been one stray The vulnerability is the highest of mostly unarmed and their killing has tors of such criminal acts must be pro-
from 2019. As per their convenience, the candidates can choose case in an operation near Sopore. the Station House Officers (SHOs) a high impact on social media and jected all over the general area from
the date of the tests that will be spread over five days. However, a fair Vulnerability to ambushes is high and their staff at police stations national media. Foreign terror groups where the LTs hail. If funerals of LTs
examination holds value only if every successful candidate gets equal in the case of small parties as quick which is not so numerous as to afford looking for reporting back to proxy can give rise to passions among the
opportunity of admission in a college. Take the case of the poor but reaction teams protect officers, the required overkill for ensured masters count these as achievements. youth to join the LT ranks, surely the
logistics elements or simply isolat- security. SHO Feroz Dar of Anantnag What is surprising is local groups sentiments on the targeted killing of
deserving NEET-qualified candidates aspiring for seats in private med-
ed moves such as the ambush of the was killed a year ago in an ambush resorting to this as it draws the ire of local isolated security personnel can
ical colleges in Punjab this year. They are facing the hurdle of astronom-
Rashtriya Rifles group in 2013 near along with six of his men. The thing the public. It appears to indicate the also be similarly exploited.
ical fees. And, sadly, their boat has been rocked by Punjab Minister for Hyderpura on the national high- to remember about vulnerability of absence of mature leadership direct-
Medical Education and Research Brahm Mohindra. Keeping student way, in which we lost eight brave- policemen is that armed police units ing the local terror operations. This is Former GOC of the Srinagar-
welfare uppermost, the Punjab Government notification of February 6 hearts. The element of vulnerabili- live mostly in police lines but person- the sentiment on which the JKP has based 15 Corps
had fixed the fees for the MBBS course in private colleges. It was Rs
13.42 lakh for the 50 per cent seats designated as government quota and
Rs 40.29 lakh for the remaining management quota. But the minister

Should a minister greet a convict?

has scrapped this fee cap and allowed the colleges to have a free rein.
The colleges, citing autonomy, have challenged the notification in
the Punjab and Haryana High Court and are, meanwhile, making hay
by charging up to Rs 70 lakh for the course. The court hearing is slotted
for July 10. It may not be wrong to conclude that a majority of the can-
didates affording these colleges would be from the other private shops: Vishavjeet Chaudhary Civil law, on the other hand, has legal aid, etc., are all essential ele- to be treated in a manner that is not
milder sanctions and a less morally ments here. degrading or inhumane. Yet, if there

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the expensive coaching institutes. Medical admission is the base on
HERE were reports of a union
which the crucial issues plaguing the public health sector can be
minister greeting a group of
addressed. A fair access to colleges by all will go a long way in meeting men who had been recently con-
the shortage of doctors. Those paying through their nose for a seat can victed by a court. This, on the surface,
be least expected to serve the last man in the remotest village. The gov- sends a fundamentally wrong mes-
ernment needs to consider whether such measures would ultimately sage. The social sanction of criminal
strengthen the health infrastructure. law and the moral loadedness becomes
The Punjab Private Health Sciences Educational Institutions Act, meaningless and irrelevant. The legit-
2006 debars health sciences education institutions from fixing their imacy of the entire criminal justice
fees. Mohindra has reiterated the state's obligation towards students process and the robustness of the
and promised a regulatory framework for admissions and the fee struc- entire process comes under question.
ture in private universities. He needs to make good on his assurance. Most, if not all countries, distinguish
between criminal and civil law and
their sanctions. If someone breaches
Thought for the Day criminal law, sanctions are usually
harsher. Similarly, someone who is in
To err is human. To blame it on someone else is politics. breach of a criminal law is referred to
— Hubert H Humphrey as a ‘criminal’ or a ‘convict’.
loaded terminology. Civil law is con-
sidered as a wrong against a person or
a group of people while criminal law is
considered a wrong against the state
and society as a whole. The collective
interests and conscience of the socie-
ty is deemed to be harmed.
For a criminal system to be effec-
tive and enjoy legitimacy, at least
two things are crucial. The first is
that the functionaries perform their
duties fairly, honestly and in accor-
dance with the due process of law. If
investigation or trial is conducted
in circumstances that breach this
test, it is highly likely that the
entire result will be seen suspi-
ciously. Unfair prosecution, lack of
The second and equally important
facet of criminal law is that it serves
as some form of censure and as a
morally loaded tag. Someone who
has been ‘convicted’ by way of
imprisonment is usually ostracised
from society — both physically and
metaphorically. This allows for
moral deliberation and repentance,
as well as reform. It also sends a
stern message — these elements are
not welcome in society.
Criminal law has a tough task — it
has to balance the interests of the
accused with the interests of the vic-
tims. Even criminals, regardless of
how heinous their crimes are, still
continue to be citizens and deserve
is positive encouragement to crimi-
nals, a basic tenant and function of
the criminal justice system comes
crashing down on itself.
Due process and the law certainly
should follow its own course. It is
also imperative that we continue
with a model of criminal justice in
which we treat criminals as moral
agents capable of moral delibera-
tion and thereby reform. To snatch
away even that chance is to, in
many ways, feel shy of our commit-
ments as a society.
Nonetheless, as a representative of
the people, and thereby the society,
to greet convicted murderers is
highly questionable.

letters to the editor

Justice for ’84 victims
The editorial ‘High time, indeed’
(July 7) sums up the need for justice in
the 1984 mayhem. Victims have
undergone untold misery, privation
and trauma. The challenging of the
bail application of Sajjan Kumar by
the SIT and directions of the apex
court to Sajjan Kumar to cooperate in
the investigation are commendable.
Let us hope for a speedy trial and ver-
dict in the most horrifying carnage.
Nobody is above the law and it should
take its own course.
GURMIT SINGH SAINI, MOHALI
Pvt medical colleges
Refer to ‘Govt ignored own Act, helped
pvt medical colleges make hay’ (July
7); private medical colleges in Punjab
often indulge in commercialisation.
The managements of these colleges try
to raise fee under one pretext or the
other. The promoters of these institu-
tions are influential politicians and
small time businessmen new to aca-
demic culture. They want to mint mon-
ey by exploiting people. Meritorious
but economically weak students are
left high and dry in the new medical
education system. Medical colleges
should come clean with the details of
how they work out the fee. Only those
costs should be included which are
actually used for educating a student.
The state government should take cor-
rective measures and not leave profes-
sional education completely in the
hands of the private sector.
HARJEEV KUMAR KHANNA, BATHINDA
Turban or not?
Apropos ‘SC: Should Sikhs get head-
gear exemption in sports events?’
(July 7) it is not clear for which partic-
ular sport the PIL has been submit-
ted. Also, in many sports it is not even
possible to wear turbans. Instead of
going for PILs and seeking verdicts
from courts, we must use our own wis-
dom and go ahead. Such PILs may
backfire and do more damage than
being helpful to the whole communi-
ty in question as the parties con-
cerned may not be fully aware of the
religious sentiments involved.
ARUNJIT S KAKU BUTALIA, FEROZEPUR CANTT
Best bet
Refer to the editorial ‘Legalising bet-
ting in India’ (July 7); betting has
been part of our society. Even the
great Mahabharata has been woven
around betting. The Law Commis-
sion has made the right recommen-
dation, accepting the reality of the
existence of a huge clandestine insti-
tution dominated by the under-
ground and a select few from the
affluent. Betting should be legalised
as is the norm in most transparent
sports institutions and the sugges-
tion to ensure office-bearers and
players do not unduly influence it
should be guaranteed. By regulating
betting the government will make
sports, especially cricket, transparent
and earn revenue by way of taxes.
HN RAMAKRISHNA, BENGALURU
Strike vs operations
Apropos ‘Strategic strike vs tactical
operations’ (July 4), we have always
compromised with the security of the
nation. Sacrificing few people during
the Kandahar hijack and taking a
bold step like Israel would have been
an example for the rest of the world.
Had we stood our ground, the casual-
ties we are suffering in J&K could
have been minimised, if not avoided.
It was the failure of RAW in Kath-
mandu and also the then govern-
ment was caught unawares about the
prevailing threat. Since 1948, we
have been facing this stigma and get-
ting our civilians as well as armed
forces personnel killed.
COL JASPAL SINGH (RETD), LUDHIANA
SAD stand
Refer to ‘Death for drugs is not
solution’ (July 6); if there is political
will to take on the scourge of drug
affiliation of peddlers and their
patrons, the need to seek death
would not arise. The stand of the
SAD, which offered ‘full coopera-
tion’ to eliminate drugs, is not con-
vincing. The supply of drugs flour-
ished during its regime.
SUBHASH C TANEJA, GURUGRAM
Hit at the root
The Punjab Government’s move to
seek death penalty for drug smug-
glers and conduct a dope test on its
employees shows the gravity of the
menace. But no ailment can be
cured unless the root cause is found
out. Unemployment is the key factor
which results in addiction, crime
and risky migration. Huge migra-
tion of youth from Punjab is a testi-
mony to it. We are depriving the
state and country of future talent.
Every month, many youths are suc-
cumbing to drugs, and many bril-
liant minds are leaving the country.
It seems that Punjab is no more live-
able. Employment and rehabilita-
tion are the remedies.
SUKHPAL SINGH, BY MAIL
In AAP’s favour
With the apex court’s verdict
favouring the AAP, PM Modi must
have realised that he has only par-
tially applied the dictum ‘more gov-
ernance, less government’ and
indulged in petty politics. It doesn’t
behove to nurture vengeance due to
a crushing defeat. AAP’s victory
was the victory of the people of Del-
hi who were annoyed with Congress.
Kejriwal had to pass through har-
rowing time and couldn’t possibly
deliver what he had in mind. The
Central government should focus on
inflation, corruption, adulteration,
ailing public health centres, alarm-
ing levels of pesticide use, etc. The
voter has got the insight to judge
who deserves his vote.
GURNAM SINGH SEETAL, KHANNA
Be the guiding light
This refers to ‘Stay, Afghanistan needs
you...’ (July 6). The fatal attack on Sikhs
in Jalalabad is heart-wrenching, but
also a reflection of a graver crisis. The
way in which the minorities have dwin-
dled is not spontaneous. This seems to
be the worst time for minorities across
the world, particularly the Indian sub-
continent. Most of our neighbours have
silently become religious and lingual
majoritarian states andthe remaining
ones are in the middle of that process.
India still remains secular. As minori-
ties in other countries, the Rohingya,
Sikhs, Shias, Hazaras, Ahmadiyas and
Hindus have faced unimaginable vio-
lence over decades. In India, the
upsurge of Hindutva and increasing
atrocities on minorities indicate that we
may have joined the same path. Cow
vigilantism, lynchings and hate speech
may bring electoral gains, but as a
nation we regress. Secular India must
not deviate from its founding princi-
ples, and instead, should act as the guid-
ing light to its neighbours.
ALISHAN JAFRI, BY MAIL

Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribuneindia.com