Welcome Remarks by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation

General Syed Ata Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM (Bar), VSM (Bar), Distinguished Guests,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the March edition of Vimarsh lecture series. Today’s talk will be delivered by Lt Gen Ata Hasnain on ‘Jammu and Kashmir: The Big Picture’. General Hasnain is a well-known commentator on J&K affairs. His columns appear regularly in mainstream of Indian media. He regularly participates in TV shows discussing J&K and enjoys high popularity among the viewers.

As former GOC of Srinagar based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Hasnain has intimate knowledge of Kashmir militancy and the terrain in which it thrives. A seven generation Army Officer, he has done seven tours of duty in J&K and has been decorated 6 times by the President of India. Having conducted numerous counter-terrorism campaign in the Valley, Gen Hasnain is knowledgeable about the mind and strategy of terrorist groups. He was appointed as the Chancellor of Central University of Kashmir in 2018. He is therefore well-versed with the youth narrative in the Valley.

Friends, the timing of Lt Gen Hasnain talk is apt. The terror attack in Pulwama has once again highlighted the extreme complexity of the situation in J&K. Showing resolve and determination, the Government allowed free hand to the armed forces to respond to this dastardly cross-border terror attack. The Indian Air Force launched well coordinated air strikes on the Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Pakistan responded by attempting to attack Indian military establishments. While the situation has been defused somewhat, the danger of India-Pakistan tensions rising once again due to the future terror attacks in J&K cannot be ruled out.

Indian response was bound to attract the attention of the international community. Major powers supported India following the Pulwama attacks but also counselled restraint once military action happened.

Once again China has put a technical hold in the UNSC 1272 Committee on Masood Azhar’s designation as a global terrorist. This will only embolden the Pakistan based terrorist group to carry on with terrorist attacks in J&K.

The Election Commission (EC) has also announced a schedule of a parliamentary elections in J&K. Regional parties have protested against the EC’s decision not to hold assembly election in the state. While the criticism appears to be politically motivated, emotions are likely to be inflamed as the election season advances.

Security forces have had notable successes in fighting terrorism in Kashmir. Several terrorists have been killed in the last one year. The coordination amongst the security forces has improved. The PM and the Home Minister have visited J&K several times. Despite that the PDM-BJP government could not survive. However, the efforts of the Government’s special envoy on Kashmir, who was appointed in 2017, have not shown much visible results towards starting a dialogue. Kashmiri pundits who were forcible driven out from the valley almost 30 years ago remain uprooted from their hearths and homes.

In the meanwhile, the radicalization of the youth in J&K is increasing and presents a clear danger to the stability in the state. Fighting radicalization should be a priority though this would not be easy.
The Government has taken several political, economic and security measures to stabilize the situation in Kashmir and diminish alienation in the Valley. The latest action of the Government shows its resolve to fight terrorism in a robust manner. However, a multipronged approach is needed to solve the problem. Pakistan’s continued support for terrorist groups complicates the problem enormously.

I welcome General Hasnain to the Vimarsh talk.