The recent decision of the J and K government to condone stone throwers, many of whom were habitual offenders, while charging army personnel who were victims of stone throwing and opened fire in self-defence in an FIR is the latest confused news emanating from the valley. Photographs of damaged vehicles, injured army personnel and littered stones were ignored. Had the army opened fire first, there would have been no stone pelting.

They were made out as perpetrators of the crime since they possessed weapons, despite the fact that their presence there was not of free will, but to perform a task. The father of the officer named in the FIR, along with a few army children were compelled to approach the Supreme Court and NHRC to quash the FIR as also consider human rights of security personnel. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

Last year, Major Gogoi was targeted because he tied an individual to his jeep to move out security personnel trapped by a mob inside a polling booth. His action saved lives of both security personnel whom he was rescuing and civilians who would have suffered if he had opened fire. He was accused of violating human rights. His opening of fire may have been justified, since it was in self-defence. In the recent incident soldiers fired in self-defence and have been hauled up for the same. Hence, if you don’t fire, you violate human rights; if you fire, you are charged with a crime. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

The Hurriyat abuses the national leadership and praises Pakistan. It is aware of the suffering of the people of POK and Gilgit-Baltistan yet demands freedom of Kashmir from India. It instigates youth into violence, burns educational institutes, while leaders’ children study in safe locations. It is known to be involved in hawala transactions and in procuring property way beyond means. They are clearly anti-national elements. Yet the opposition claims they represent the masses and should be engaged in dialogue, as also given security protection and funds from the government. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

Pakistan is responsible for maximum violence within the state. Its proxy is the Hurriyat. It is well known that Pakistan openly sponsors terror groups which target not only security forces but also locals. It is the violence generated by Pakistan, which has ensured that the state remains underdeveloped and causes maximum economic loss to locals. Yet state political parties insist that government talk to Pakistan, which is clearly unwilling. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

The youth pelt stones and seek bandhs and strikes when locals are killed in either crossfire during encounters or stone-throwing. There is no word against the same militants when they kill innocent Kashmiri policemen, politicians or service personnel on leave. Locals display Pakistani flags during the funeral of killed militants but remain silent when Pakistani guns target their own brethren along the LoC. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

The locals demand azadi, which in their opinion is freedom from India. They seek a separate state, independent from both India and Pakistan. However, in all protests, they display Pakistan flags ignoring their own state flag. They continue to support Pakistan, despite it officially claiming that freedom would never be given. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

All those either injured or killed in retaliation to stone throwing or in cross fire during encounters are claimed to be by-standers. This leaves the rational Indian wondering if stone-throwing or an encounter is akin to a soccer match which can be observed from the sidelines. Security forces target ring leaders at the forefront, not spectators in the background. Everyone who has been injured or killed was supposedly out on an errand and unjustly targeted. Locals claim that they could never harm anyone yet were at the forefront of the agitation. This only happens in Kashmir. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

Article 35A had the opposition NC and the ruling PDP combining to battle it together in the Supreme court. Speeches by their leaders against the article were only given in the valley. Farooq Abdullah went on to threaten on the scale of violence which would erupt in case the article was tampered with. Surprisingly, these political parties are meant to represent the state, not just a miniscule portion of it. The views of Jammu and Ladakh were not even considered. It is only in J and K that politicians who rule the state appear to support only a part of it. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

The army has borne the brunt of local anger, yet established goodwill schools, conducted tours for locals outside the state to give them better exposure and provided medical aid in remote areas. It has greater visibility and contact than even the state government in remote areas. It is more aware of the happenings within the state than anyone else. Yet it is considered an occupying force and the advice of the army chief on education impacting the youth is rebuked by the state government. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

The recent incident when a LeT militant, Naved was freed from a Srinagar hospital was viewed as Pakistan attacking a hospital, rather than a failure on the part of the police, which moved him without being handcuffed to at least one policeman. In any other state, necks would have rolled immediately. In J and K, it took a week. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

Thousands attend funerals of militants who target their own, exploit their women and rob their banks. However, only a handful attend funerals of local police and security personnel who sacrificed their lives for their security. This is the paradox of Kashmir.

The government provides maximum assistance to the state, mainly to wean the masses towards the country. In simple terms, the tax paid by the common Indian is spent on making the lives of Kashmiris better. Yet, there is only anger and hatred against the nation and its taxpayers, on whose largesse they live. This is the ultimate paradox from the region of paradoxes, Kashmir.

The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army