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17 April 2014

Kashmir Valley : The Hearts And Minds Campaign

E-Mail- renudhillon17@gmail.com 

The Kashmir Valley is witnessing a slow but certain return to normalcy. Security force operations have largely contributed to the return of a peaceful environment by eroding the ability of the terrorists, infiltrated from across the border to cause havoc and create fear in the Valley. However, to some extent, the emphasis placed by the Army in “winning hearts and minds” (WHAM), has also contributed to the normalisation process. Such activities are not designed to take away from the role of the state in the development and administrative process, but merely to supplement such efforts where the civil administration, due to constraints of militancy, sometimes finds it hard to reach. In any case, the limited budget for such activities is but a drop in in the ocean, though the message of empathy it sends to the local people is an important catalyst to drive change. 

Take the case of Miyan-Ulfat, the infant daughter of a poor labourer from the remote village of Lachhipura. Born with a congenital life threatening deformity, her family lacked the means to put the child through a series of surgical operations needed to enable her to lead a normal life. The Army stepped in, assisting the child and the family in undergoing three major surgeries from 2005 to 2013 at Saura Government Hospital. By taking care of not just the child, but the parents too in their hour of need, Miyan-Ulfat is now well on the road to recovery. One simple act can leave a lasting impression on a populace, which has suffered decades of violence. Khursheeda Begum was in her sixth month of pregnancy when she developed serious life threatening complications. The army airlifted her from Dabar, a remote village in Gurez to Bandipura, saving her life and that of her child. 

Many such cases dot the Kashmir landscape as the Army, as in its areas of deployment, the Army has always shown empathy to the local populace. This face of the Army requires greater visibility. Greater focus naturally goes to army operationsagainst terrorists and insurgents, which is perhaps the reason why the human side of army operations takes a backstage. WHAM has however remained at the core of the Army’s operating philosophy, for decades, which has enabled conflict zones to return to an environment where the political process can lead to conflict resolution and enablement of the civil administration to carry out its functions.In the Kashmir Valley, a focussed campaign through “Operation Sadbhavana” was set in motion in 1998 and this has been very successful. One of the prime initiatives of ‘Sadbhavana’ has been in the field of providing health care to remote and inaccessible areas. The modus operandi adopted includes conducting Medical Camps, running Forward Medical Centres (FMCs), Remote Area Support Posts (RASPs), Mobile Medical Teams (MMTs) and door-to-doorcover in remote regions across the Valley. 

Statistics are important. The year 2013 saw nearly two lakh patients treated by the Army. This is not simply a one off measure, but consistent through repeat visits. Health camps also spread awareness on pertinent health related issues like hygiene, birth control, AIDS, lifestyle diseases and indispensability of infant and maternal care. The teams of Army and civilian doctors comprising medical officers, specialists, dentists, nursing staff and pharmacists offer free medical check-ups and diagnosis, carry out minor surgeries, distribute necessary medicines and give advice and referrals. Facilities like ECG machines, mandatory vaccinations and specialised blood tests are conducted jointly with reputed civilian laboratories.Since April 1, 2013, 194 Medical Camps were organised in semi-urban and rural areas, which averages to about three to four camps every week, with each camp on an average treating over 400 patients. Considering the vastness of the area and the nature of the terrain, this is certainly no mean feat. 

The Chinar Corps with its headquarters in Srinagarhas also set up 25 Forward Medical Centres (FMC) for the civilians in areas which lack primary health care facilities in their vicinity. Manned by doctors and trained staff of the Army, these posts provide cover to far-flung regions of the Valley. A number of Remote Area Support Posts (RASPs), operated by trained Para-medical staff have also been established in the most inaccessible areas with the objective of disbursing medical aid to the nomadic Gujjar and Bakharwal communities. Besides, units often provide door-to-door medical cover through their integral medical staff while carrying out their routine activities. In addition, the Army has facilitated prosthetics for many by equipping them with wheel chairs, crutches, walking sticks, kneecaps, hot water bottles and hearing aids. It has also coordinated with NGOs and medico firms for prosthetic limbs for many cases. 

In a first of its kind initiative, the Chinar Corps recently established two ‘Drug De-addiction Counselling Centres’, one at Haft Chinar in Srinagar and the other at Baramulla. Both are run by professional counsellors and staff to deal with increasing cases of drug abuse. These centres can be accessed through a 24x7 helpline, and through social media networks like ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’. In addition, awareness camps facilitated by various units are often conducted to create awareness about the perils of drug abuse. The army has also taken initiative in setting up dog bite treatment centres, blood banks, and veterinary support services. Veterinarians and dressers both from the Army and Civil administration routinely organise veterinary camps in the remote areas and where need be provide specialist treatment. 

These activities are simply taken as routine by the Army, which is perhaps one of the reasons why it finds so little mention in the mainstream media. While the rescue of a child in a borewell in central India can hog the national headlines for days, comparable acts in the Valley find little mention. Disaster relief of course finds space in the mainstream media, but only in exceptional circumstances. Little is known about the assistance rendered by the Army in the Balsaran area of Kulgam district, which was hit by an avalanche on 12 March 2014, entrapping a large number of people and cattle. It was a Rashtriya Rifles unit that carried out rescue operations against all odds, saving seven precious lives. In two separate incidents, rescue teams of army subunits located at Imamsahib and Hathipura in Behibagh of district Shopian evacuated two pregnant women on stretchers by continuously walking for almost 3 hours. Such incidents have contributed greatly in the WHAM effort, but need wider and more frequent dissemination, both in the local and national media. The role played by the Indian Army in Operation Sadbhavana needs to be communicated to a much wider audience across the globe. Perhaps other armies battling militancy can take a leaf out of the Indian Army’s operational methodology to combat violence in their societies, to bring about conflict resolution. 

The author is an intern at CLAWS. Views expressed are personal. 

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