Book Review

Separatist Movements in India

Brig Asif Haroon Raja

I was invited by Muslim Institute Islamabad as one of the speakers to attend book launching ceremony of a book titled “Separatist Movements in India” (in Urdu) authored by eminent Tariq Ismail Sagar.

Let me at the outset compliment Mr Sagar for his commendable effort in writing this well-researched book “Separatist Movements in India”.  What is heartening to note is the choice of the subject chosen by him! It’s an undeniable fact that the trend of reading is on the decline. Likewise, the trend of writing books on India to expose the true face of Hindu mentality is also on the decline. The first generation and their predecessors that had lived with the Hindus for centuries in united India have passed away and the current generation is unaware of the intolerant and unforgiving psyche of Hindus, particularly the Brahmans, who have all along regarded outsiders as polluted and themselves as pure.

We must not lose sight of the fact that India is the archrival of Pakistan which never wanted its creation, and has not reconciled to its existence. Even after bisecting it into two in 1971, it is again conspiring to further fragment Pakistan and fulfil its mythical dream of Maha Bharat or Akhand Bharat.

Soon after the 1971 debacle, India writers published over 250 books on the 1971 Indo-Pak war to demonize Pak Army and West Pakistan and to hide India’s evil doings by way of subverting the minds of Bengalis and then aiding Mukti Bahini insurgency and finally delivering the military instrument to sever Pakistan’s eastern limb.

The trend of bad mouthing Pakistan, its premier institutions and the people accelerated after 9/11 as a result of banding together of Indo-US-Afghanistan-Israel-West nexus poised against Pakistan. Since 2004, Pakistan is faced with covert war, drone war and 5^th generation war.

Indian exterior manoeuvre has succeeded in building a narrative to convince the world that India is the victim of terrorism and Pakistan abettor of terrorism. Indian propaganda war has helped in portraying India as “India Shining” where everything glitters, and Pakistan as the most dangerous country and villain of peace.

Our policymakers have no plans how to beat back the harmful effects of hybrid war. All our efforts are focused on fighting terrorism, which was fomented by our so-called allies, who continue pressing Pakistan to do more against the terrorists whom they feed.

While Pakistan is being demonized and isolated under a calculated plan, India is being glorified and all its sins hushed up. Unfortunately, our media, the so-called intellectuals, educationists, journalists and writers are not playing their due role to beat back the deadly effects of subversion and onslaught of cultural invasion unleashed by adversaries of Pakistan to rob the youth of its warrior spirit, patriotism and nationalism.

India is the originator of terrorism in South Asia and has issues with all its neighbours. It is an expansionist state which after mutilating original Pakistan, gobbled up all the 565 princely states including those wanting to join Pakistan. After Partition, Indian forces forcibly occupied Junagadh, Hyderabad, Goa, Damam, Diu and Sikkim (1975). Siachin was annexed in April 1984. Pakistan has failed to expose the ugly face of India mired in hundreds of social and moral vices.  

[sgmb id=”1″]

It is in this backdrop that I find the book of Mr Sagar as a welcome addition which will help in giving a glimpse of what all is happening in shining India. The 492-page book has 54 chapters and dwells at length about the ongoing insurgencies and separatist movements in India.

We in Pakistan are worried about the foreign-sponsored insurgencies in FATA and Baluchistan that have been to a large extent subdued; but there are 37 full-blown insurgencies, out of which 19 are separatist movements in India. The seven sisters states in northeastern India are embroiled in separatist movements.

Former PM Manmohan Singh had declared Naxalites movement, which originated in 1969 at Naxalbari (West Bengal) as most dangerous. Naxalites (Maoists) that are now linked with Nepalese Maoists, control 220 districts of the total 608 districts of India (13 out of 28 States of India). The Red Corridor in which 80% of the Indian nuclear missile and nuclear sites are located is under the influence of the Naxalites, where Indian security forces have little control. While Nagaland insurgency originated in 1947, most others triggered after 1971 and none have so far been controlled.  

We talk of growing terrorism in Pakistan where all proscribed outfits have been banned and dismantled, in India, there are well over 100 notorious terrorist groups but none has been blacklisted by the Indian government, UN and US. BJP, a political face of infamous RSS is a terrorist organization and its top leader Narendra Modi and chief minister of Maharashtra are confirmed, terrorists. From 2002 till election and appointment of Modi as PM in June 2014, he was barred from visiting USA or UK.

We express our concern over the deployment of 200,000 security forces in northwestern Pakistan engaged in fighting foreign aided terrorism, but hardly mention that 7,50,000 Indian security forces are deployed in narrow Valley of Kashmir since 1990, and over 800,000 security forces in other parts of India in a counter-insurgency role. While our forces fight the insurgents with one hand and leg tied, Indian forces have been given license to kill, rape and plunder without any fear of accountability.

We talk of exploitation of resources of Baluchistan but have no idea that Operation ‘Green Hunt’ launched by Indian forces in the north and northeast India is primarily aimed at capturing plum lands, forests and plentiful mineral resources. Orissa alone has $ 4 trillion worth Aluminum Bauxite which is three times more than the total GDP of India. All tribal states in northern India are full of mineral resources.

Pak Army is not robbing the resources of FATA and Baluchistan, or dishonouring their women, but are busy settling the displaced persons and developing the regions and mainstreaming them and have achieved laudable results. On the contrary, Indian forces are carrying out ethnic cleansing, raping the women and plundering the resources of tribespeople and Kashmiris to enrich the elites and foreign investors.

India social system based on accursed four-fold caste system is founded on inequality, intolerance and religious extremism. 2.8 Brahmans maintain an iron grip over the rest. Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Christians are the worst affected minorities in India. The rise of Hindutva under BJP has threatened the very existence of Indian minorities. It is owing to extreme injustice and cruelties of the elites that there are so many insurgencies in all parts of India. 180,000 Indian farmers committed suicide since they couldn’t repay debt.    

Mr Sagar has mentioned about India’s bad habit of blaming Pakistan for all its ailments. It blames ISI for abetting the northeastern insurgencies. This might have been possible before Hasina Wajid came to power in 2010. She is a puppet in the hands of India and has strained relations with Pakistan.

Mr Sagar also threw light on the Sikhs, how they were led up the garden by Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi in 1947 and used them to massacre migrating Muslims of East Punjab and Delhi in collusion with the RSS; how they were betrayed and then massacred in June 1984 in Operation Blue Star, which led to Khalistan movement.

India is an ethnic museum, and its union is artificial, kept together by brute force. Although India claims that Naxalites are most dangerous to its integrity, it is more worried about Kashmir. This can be discerned by the numbers of troops deployed in occupied Kashmir. Indian leaders know that loss of Kashmir will set in a chain reaction and energize all other movements to break apart India.

The writer is defence analyst, columnist, author of five books.

 asifharoonraja@[email protected]