Kashmir's War Diary- A Truth With Many Lies

Whenever you've visited Kashmir, you've always seen a number of army checkpoints, a lot many convoys, and a ton of troops patrolling the area. The situation in the valley was never like this before. Kashmir Valley has been always considered as one of the most beautiful places to visit in India, rather the jewel of India. With beautiful landscapes, Mughal Gardens, Lakes, it was considered one of the best places for tourists to be. But, this valley has had a bloody history in the last few decades. It has been covered with the blood of many civilians, and the atrocities of terror groups all at the same time. The last decade has still ended at a peaceful note, but there lies a far dangerous enemy on the other side of India.

The roots of this conflict can be seen through its history. Kashmir had been acceded into India in 1948, as a part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, with Ladakh and Jammu region. As part of the accession, Kashmir was to be wholly under Indian rule. But Pakistan had captured the western part of Kashmir during the 1948 war, with China also taking over Aksai Chin in 1962. With this, Kashmir was divided into three parts.

During the 1965 war with India, Pakistan put up Operation Gibraltar. The operation aimed at sending troops disguised as locals, parachuting them inside Indian part of Jammu and Kashmir,and inciting rebellion amongst the civillian population against the republic of India. This operation was not such a successful OP, but was to show up its credibility during the late 80s and the early 90s with a change in the earlier scheme.
1989 started as a bang bang terrorist confrontation in the valley, with insurgency at a high end catastrophic level, arming insurgents to wage a war with India. During 1987, the elections were rigged considerably by the Farooq Abdullah government, making them win the elections. This only worsened the situation, starting a massive protest inside Kashmir, many going against the Government, and putting a seed into creating various militant groups across the region like the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation front, Harkat-Ul-Jihad-Al-Islami, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizbul Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen & Al Badr.

By 1989, millitant groups had enough powers to execute what they called was a revolution for freedom. Widespread killings took place. The Kashmiri pandit families had to leave their homes, and run for some other place to live , to save their lives, as the millitants were participating in what was to be known as 'ethnic cleansing'. The Indian Army, the IPS, the CRPF and other security forces were sent into Kashmir to check on this violence. The Army was specially called in to control the situation, and participate in anti-terrorist activities in the valley. With this, the conflict went towards a bloody turnout. Many in the valley went missing. Killings were something common in those dark days by the terrorists. Graves of unknown people were common. With this, curfews were imposed. Terrorist encounters were a usual activity. Arrests were made. AFSPA, or the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was introduced. All measures to bring peace in the valley were made by the Indian Government. But peace never was and were to be easily achieved in the valley.

The  time can be best described by a British Journalist, James Buchan as follows, "In the years since 1990, the Kashmiri Muslims and the Indian government have conspired to abolish the complexities of Kashmiri civilization. The world it inhabited has vanished: the State Government and the political class, the rule of law, almost all the Hindu inhabitants of the valley, alcohol, cinemas, cricket matches, picnics by moonlight in the saffron fields, schools, universities, an independent press, tourists and banks. In this reduction of civilian reality, the sights of Kashmir are redefined: not the lakes and Mogul gardens, or the storied triumphs of Kashmiri agriculture, handicrafts and cookery, but two entities that confront each other without intermediary: the mosque and the army camp."
Tourism had gone down, businesses had come to a standstill, & the people always lived in fear the whole time. Kashmir had changed a lot. It was no longer the most beautiful possession of India, which you would see in any old Bollywood movie. It was now a war zone. Analysts say that Human Rights Violations were committed on both sides. But according to the Indian Government, there have been no such violations by the security forces, with those doing it meeting severe punishments, and that most of these are only for demeaning the status of the security forces operating inside Kashmir. While most of these violations being conducted by the terrorist groups in the name of Jihad.

The violence, having been directly funded by Pakistan (as the Indian Government states) may not be a case according to the Pakistani Government, but there are many evidences of terrorist groups operating on there side of Kashmir till date, and entering the Indian side, spreading havoc across the valley. Also, except Pakistan, Terror groups across the world may also have a hand in the conflict, like the mujahideen fighters from Afghanistan. The Indian Government hasn't ruled out the role of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence, or the ISI, in the assistance of these terror groups. Though the cover was Islam, but it cannot be ruled out that civilians irrespective of their background were killed by these militants. Then came Kargil, where it was proved that it wasn't the Mujahideen sitting on Indian posts, but Pakistani regular soldiers itself. So, it may be possible that around this time, many Pakistani regulars may also have entered Kashmir.
Today, Kashmir is at a better state than it was earlier, which shows that peace has now started shaping in the valley. The security forces have put up a brave fight since the last decade, protecting the borders and the enemy within. Although the conflict is now nearing an end, who knows what lies ahead for the future of Kashmir. The ugly truth about the conflict is that it was not the security forces who were involved, but they only came on a call to protect the area, while anti national sentiments were spreading havoc, and killing precious lives in the process. That is when these forces have come to protect the sanctity of the valley, and have succeeded in doing so. Today, although Pakistan may blame India for killing Kashmiri civilians, and consider these terrorists as Kashmir's independence fighters, but they should also remember that they are the ones who put in motion the chain of events that started the violence in the Kashmir valley, while India played a pivotal role in stopping it.
So lets not forget those brave men who have given their lives protecting Kashmir from intruders, maintaining peace inside the region, and making the billion Indians sleep peacefully while standing their own post for the protection of their country, and also to the people of Kashmir, who have taken their stand for maintaining peace inside the valley.