The Before and Beyond of “Kashmir Files”-Part 1

                                            

                                                    Part 1- The Melting Pot

Agnihotri needs accolades for staking his life and pointing to a time in history when everything around somebody from this very land stood still in the wake of unprecedented horror unleashed on them. He had his limitations while directing a movie. The blood-soaked rice scene, an example, of how moderately it can be shown. He could not have shown a 6-hour movie either. The ordeal for that woman lasted 10 days and not just restricted to cooking blood-soaked food. Now, I have my limitations too. I am leaving the graphics to the reader’s imagination. Wild as it can be, the less real it would be still.

 The preamble to the story goes thus. USA and USSR had been through the cold war era and waited with bated breath as to who would do the first sin. For all it’s ills US is a democracy and always had the backing of its people, even if divided in private they would be united in public. Contrast that with USSR-people were silenced with doles or jails. At best a quasi-democracy at that time. Even worse now. So, anything inimical would invoke public resistance and riots.

Lo and behold USSR made that first wrong move. An old birdie has that the intentions of this behemoth of a nation were not virtuous. The idea was to recast the map of Soviet Union to include Afghanistan, Pakistan and eventually, yes, India. In that order.

 As USSR made it’s foray into Afghanistan in 1979, they had bitten more than what they can chew. Perfect opportunity for the west to bring down it’s oldest rival. While the Afghans adopted shoot and scoot, the west designed the most diabolical weapon ever seen. A radical version of the “religion of peace” (ROP).

Overnight, books, pamphlets and insinuating speeches reached Afghanistan. Probably the single most lethal move which would come back to haunt its creator and the rest of the world.

Peacemakers from the religion of peace with Kalashnikovs trooped in from the rest of the brother countries which made the situation in Afghanistan a cocktail.

 After 10 years of burning their stocks, USSR did in Afghanistan what US just did. Evacuate and leave behind the big guns. Eerie coincidence?  Time log 1989-90. Rings a bell?

Now for 10 years the rabid Kalashnikov holders knew nothing other than pulling the trigger. They had to be a spent force or force that can be spent elsewhere. Not in their dreams were ISI going to miss this opportunity.

Move the theatre to India-Pakistan affairs now.

1971-Pakistan had received a bashing of their lifetime. 90000 troops led by Gen Niazi had surrendered to Lt. Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora. That they were released with increased girth in contrast to Capt. Saurabh Kalia is a matter for another day. In comes Gen. Zia-ul-Haq and frames the infamous “Bleed India with a thousand cuts” policy, knowing well he would be a sitting duck in a conventional war.

 The first cuts were tried in Punjab in the late 80s and to their curse they met a wall called Kanwar Pal Singh Gill I.P.S, yes, the “Supercop” KPS Gill. Rightfully or not Operation Blue Star marked the finale to Pakistan’s devilish attempt in Punjab, though at a dear cost of life of Gen. Arun Kumar Vaidya.

 Close to 2 decades of peace in Kashmir. Business did well. So did tourism. ISI shifts the “to be spent force” to Kashmir. Remember there were no electric wired fences back then at the border. Porous as paper. Hundreds of radio sets from Pakistan reach deep inside Indian borders to disseminate orders to the “innocent astray youngsters”. Now, no enemy thrives without the doors of the fort opening from inside. Indian polity did not disappoint them.