Militancy, not militants

The incentive system and reward scheme for killing militants in Kashmir must be scrapped and a holistic surrender and rehabilitation policy needs to be put in place.

pulwama, pulwama encounter, pulwama clash, pulwama army, pulwama militants, jammu and kashmir, jammu and kashmir encounter, militants in kashmir, civilians killed in pulwama, hizbul mujahideen, indian army, kashmir crisis, kashmir valley, kashmir unrest — There is a well-laid-out ‘financial reward system’ in place for killing a militant but none for taking him into custody alive. (Illustration by CR Sasikumar)

Last Saturday, 11 people were killed in Pulwama, Kashmir. This is the latest, not the last, episode in an unending saga of killings — seven civilians, three militants and one army personnel. More than three score civilians have bullet injuries.

I have no moral right to blame the present administration, having been part of the PDP-BJP government under whose watch and ward similar episodes happened in 2016. Precious little could be done then, despite the best of intentions.

I have no doubt the National Conference (NC)-Congress government earlier also made efforts to stop the killings in 2008. For all the governments in the state since 1989, the Macbethian foreboding rings true: “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.” It is time to spare the symbolism, stop the blame game and address the systemic issue.

Over the last 30 years, a security system has evolved which incentivises the killing of militants rather than catching them alive or getting them to surrender. The killing of civilians is not just collateral damage but also a natural corollary and consequence of this system. No amount of sensitisation, appeals for restraint, or adherence to a standard operating procedure will make a difference within such a system.