While speaking at a news conference at New York last year, Pakistan’s then Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari admitted that “We face a particularly uphill task to try and get Kashmir onto the center of the agenda at the United Nations [UN].” The candid admission of Pakistan’s abysmal failure to peddle its Kashmir narrative is due to two main reasons- one, its claims are downright incongruous, and two, ground realities in J&K conclusively expose Pakistan’s litany of brazen lies.
For example, post Article 370 abrogation, the then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan while delivering his UNGA speech in 2019 had prognosed a doomsday scenario in J&K by making the incredulous allegation of its population having been “caged like animals” and that once curfew was lifted, there would be a “bloodbath” in J&K. However, nothing of that sort happened- instead, about 60 delegates from 27 countries who attended the three-day-long G20 Tourism Group meeting held at Srinagar in 2023 got a good idea of the reality.
With the people of J&K enthusiastically participating in the recently held general elections, the myth that revocation of Article 370 had alienated locals that Islamabad had propagated was effectively demolished. The huge turnout of Kashmiri youth desirous of seeking enrolment into Territorial Army [TA] during last month’s recruitment rally is yet another indicator of the immense pride that the people of J&K take in donning the army uniform and serving the nation.
The fact that besides Srinagar, Territorial Army [TA] recruitment rallies were also held in Kupwara and Baramulla which were once the hotbed of terrorist activities conveys the unambiguous message that things have definitely changed for the better in the Kashmir Valley. It also clearly indicates that Islamabad’s attempts to generate anti-army feelings amongst Kashmiri youth through false propaganda and use of intimidation in an attempt to dissuade them from joining the Indian army haven’t succeeded.
Kashmiri youth joining the forces to defend the nation instead of terrorist groups is something that riles Pakistan Army’s notorious spy agency Inter Services Intelligence [ISI] which is overseeing the proxy war against India in J&K, to no end. And in a bid to save face and fool the world into believing that locals are up in arms against the security forces, ISI has been directing its proxies to intimidate locals not only through threats of physical harm but by carrying murderous assaults on them and their family members.
Scared to attack Territorial Army [TA] soldiers when they are on duty and armed, the cowardly Pakistan Army sponsored terrorists have been targeting Territorial Army [TA] personnel who come home on leave and are unarmed. They also have no qualms in attacking relatives of Territorial Army [TA] soldiers to terrorise the people. In April, the brother of a serving Territorial Army [TA] soldier was murdered by terrorists in Thanamandi’s Kunda village of Jammu division’s Rajouri district. In October, a Territorial Army [TA] soldier was abducted and killed in Kazwan Forest of Kokernag in South Kashmir and in the first week of December a Territorial Army [TA] soldier on leave was shot in the leg by terrorists in South Kashmir’s Tral area of Pulwama district.
What’s noteworthy is that despite the live threat of being targeted by terrorists, the Territorial Army [TA] recruitment rally in November still witnessed an unprecedented turnout of aspirants. The pro-Pakistanis may try to play down the widespread enthusiasm amongst Kashmiri youth to join the armed forces by contending that this rush is due to rampant unemployment. However, given the wide range of employment opportunities and entrepreneurial avenues through skill development schemes that are available to locals after Article 370 abrogation, this reasoning isn’t convincing at all.
But whatever be reason, the fact of the matter is that for Kashmiris, the army uniform has a charm of its own and this speaks volumes of the high esteem the people of J&K hold the Indian army in due to the yeoman service that it has been rendering towards ensuring safety and wellbeing of their fellow citizens!