'No military solution to Kashmir issue': Ex-Indian commander
Lt. Gen. Hoda has said not only is the issue multifaceted but Pakistan enjoys support in the occupied Valley. Photo: BBC Urdu
(Web Desk) – Former Commander of the Indian Northern Command has conceded that the Kashmir issue has no military solution to it, and that it can only be solved through bilateral talks.
“If we say that the Kashmir issue has a martial solution, it will be false. The issue is an internal and multifaceted issue,” said Lieutenant General (R) DS Hoda in an interview to BBC Urdu.
The General also spoke of the popularity Pakistan enjoys in the occupied Valley. “There is a lot of support for Pakistan too. The Indian army’s role is to bring the security situation at a level that encourages political activity within the state of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Indian Army after the Uri attack in September 2016 had claimed to enter Pakistan and destroy a militant base camp within the Azad Kashmir region of the country. The so-called ‘surgical strikes’ were directed by General Hoda, who at the time was the commander of the northern army.
Pakistan denied any such claims regarding the surgical strikes.
While discussing the surgical strikes and the Kashmir issue in detail, General Hoda said, “After detailed consultations prior to the strikes we concluded that an all-out war with Pakistan cannot be triggered, and so we decided to execute our plan and take some risk.”
“The Indian Army was ready to deal with any situation in Kashmir. I cannot share the details but a lot of detailed discussions were held at the army headquarters. It wasn’t that we all of a sudden decided to carry out a surgical strike. We had been planning for quite a time.”
Photo: BBC Urdu
After the Indian army’s claim regarding the surgical strike, the opposition party, Indian National Congress said that many such strikes were carried out during its tenure too, but they never publicised any.
General Hoda also supported Congress’s claim and told BBC Urdu, “Although such strikes were carried out in the past too, the action was never revealed to the public formally.”
When he was asked how India benefited from the claimed surgical strike, he said: “We wanted to deliver a message that we can enter your territory and carry out such actions. Pakistan did not acknowledge the strike. This resulted in a kind of a psychological and moral win.”
Hoda also said that every situation is different and it is not necessary that a cross-border action is carried out every time.
“Such operations may be carried out in future, but in a different manner.”
While talking about the largely found rebellious attitude among local Kashmiris towards India, the retired general said that carrying out an operation in the area has become a ‘severe headache’ and a great challenge as the Indian army ‘doesn’t want civilians to get harmed’.
