Brief Report on Panel Discussion on
“J&K : Where are We and Where are We Going?”
held at USI on 22 Jan 2014
 

A Panel Discussion on “J&K : Where are We and Where are We Going?” was held at USI on 22 Jan 2014. The discussion was Chaired by Ambassador Vivek Katju, IFS (Retd). The panelists were :–

       (a)    Dr Sudhir S Bloeria, IAS (Retd), Former Chief Secretary, J&K.

        (b)  Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM**, VSM** (Retd).

       Lieutenant General PK Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd), Director USI in his welcoming remarks flagged the following issues before inviting the Chairman to take over the proceedings :–

         (a)   Why did we let POK slip away from the discourse of the world and the National radar?

         (b)  What are the dynamics of the issues beyond J&K issue e.g. Shaksgam and Aksai Chin and the line beyond NJ 9842.

         The panelists gave brief presentations covering various issues confronting the State. Dr Bloeria covered the civilian perspective; while Lieutenant General Hasnain focused on – what had impacted the Kashmiri psyche and the role of the Army in J&K, Ambassador Katju shared his experiences of dealing with Pakistan.

After presentations by the panelists there was a free and frank discussion in which a large number of participants from the audience shared their perceptions on various issues based on their first hand experiences while serving in J&K. Salient points that emerged from the discussion are given below :–

(a)   We need to take a realistic view of the Government policies in J&K since 1947 to draw the right lessons.

(b)  The Centre and the State Governments need to act in unison to ‘catch the bull by its horn’.

(c) Economic activities need to be given a fillip by encouraging the big corporates to invest in J&K wholeheartedly.

(d) Sufi heritage prevalent in J&K in 1947 and subsequent years has been seriously undermined by radicalism, and this phenomenon needs to be addressed effectively.

(e) Militants would exploit radicalism to their advantage at an opportune time.

(f)  Identification of a clear role for the political class at the State and National level, in upholding National interest, got highlighted.

(g)   Since Pakistan would continue to destabilise India, we need to evolve a long term strategy to deter Pakistan from pursuing such line of action.

 (h)   There is no need for us to be on backfoot on our handling of the situation in J&K. We should be proactive in highlighting India’s approach to handling of the situation, the measures adopted for winning the hearts and minds of the Kashmiri people through humane and justiceable actions. We should also invite international interlocutors and media to see the realities on the ground for themselves. 

(j) India needs to shed its ‘status quo power’ tag to deter Pakistan from exploiting the post 2014 scenario in the wake of the US and ISAF withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In the end, the Director USI thanked the Chairman, the Panelists, and the audience for taking a holistic look at the situation in J&K. He also mentioned that this panel discussion was not just a one-time attempt but was part of the USI programme to continue discussions on this important and sensitive issue from the point of view of national security and integrity which may be of help to the policy makers to resolve this vexed issue.

Welcome Remarks

Chairman’s Opening Remarks

Chairman and the Panelists

The Audience

 

Report compiled by Lt Col BS Varma (Retd), Assistant Director and Major Sonali Gupta (Retd), Editorial Assistant at USI.