ABOUT THE BOOK

Authored in the context of the current situation in the Kashmir Valley, this monograph delves into deeper nuances of our political failure in building up a potentially stable state, and advocates direct involvement of the Indian polity in clearing up the mess.

In misplaced consideration of local ‘sentiments’, the Indian polity has depended on a class of local political as well as religious ‘middlemen’ to nurture the hoary State-Union relationship, thus failing to establish direct relationship with the citizens in the Kashmir Valley. Meanwhile, over the years, most of these ‘leaders’ and their cronies have found more and more profit in promoting corruption, maladministration and treason.

In contiguous Pakistan and Pakistan ruled areas, self-styled fighters for ‘Muslim cause’ have mandated themselves to ‘liberate’ Kashmir from ‘Hindu’ rule, and garner political power and wealth in the process. Flow of ‘Islamist’ funds and unemployed terrorists have allowed the radical cousins on either side of the Line of Control to join hands.

Thus over the past three decades, the entire Valley was subverted by distracting the Kashmiris with anti-national, anti-Hindu proclamations. Militant attacks, choreographed stone pelting, women screaming etc. have thus turned into an industry. Mere thousand radical ‘Islamists-for-profit’ in just six districts the Kashmir Valley have usurped the face of 69 lakh satisfied citizens of 22 districts, and are demanding to speak for the entire 1.25 crore citizenry of all religions and sects of the State!

All this while, the Indian Union had been watching stoically, and allowing treason to grow under the misplaced excuse of civil propriety and liberty. Time has however come to discard appeasement of the intransigent and to engage in soft, hard and ideological measures to bring back the euphoria that the Kashmiris felt on joining the Indian Union, the monograph avers.

ABOUT Author

Lieutenant General (Retd) Gautam Banerjee, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, was commissioned from the Indian Military Academy in Jun 1971. The General has the distinction of participating in all operations undertaken by the Army - as a platoon commander in the Bangladesh War of 1971, a company commander in Sri Lanka, Commanding Officer in Ladakh /Siachen Glacier and in command of an engineer brigade during Operation Parakram. Besides, he has tenanted instructional appointments twice at the College of Military Engineering, and had a tenure with the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan. He has served as the General Staff Officer I (Operations) of an infantry division in Operation Rakshak, as a Director in the Military Operations Directorate of the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Army) during Kargil War and as the Chief Engineer of the Western Command. In the later part of his career, Gen Banerjee was the General Officer Commanding of the Madhya Bharat Area and the Chief of Staff, Central Army Command. Before superannuating after 40 years of distinguished service, he was the Commandant of the Officers` Training Academy, Chennai. The General has been a prolific student of military strategy, leadership and futuristic warfare and his writings are acknowledged as thought provoking. He has made singular contributions in a range of Army`s modernisation and transformational studies, many of which have been adopted in the Army. Since his retirement in Jul 2011, the General spends his time in writing for various defence journals. Two of his books have been published so far, namely, ``Army of the 21st Century: Strategies for the Future`` and ``Reign of the Red Rebellion : Observations from Naxal Land``. He is also a frequent Guest Speaker in security related seminars and workshops.