House Demolitions in Kashmir will be counterproductive

A spate of wanton house demolitions of alleged militants is extremely illogical, illegal, unfair, and could even be counter productive.

The youth that join the militancy never do it under the directions or guidance of their families. In fact, most families report to the police about their kids as missing as soon as they learn about it. Besides, they do not own the demolished properties, legally or by local custom. There are several instances from the past when the parents were able to retrieve their children with the help of the police.

Several people from the Pakistani side including some ‘former Kashmiris’ have started to characterise such actions as the ‘Israel style retribution’ seeking cheap public sympathy at the time when Pakistani Army is actively supporting Israel and suppressing any pro-Palestinian political action in Pakistan.

It is worth reminding such Pakistan-based ‘Kashmir supporters’ that house demolition has been employed and mastered by the Pakistani military for over 70 years in the formerly tribal areas straddling the de-facto Pak-Afghan border. It had been destroying civilian houses on mere suspicion. During the Operation Zarb-e.Azab, the Pakistani military bombed and destroyed tens of thousands of civilian houses, shops and hundreds of mosques and madrasas.

This brutal and wanton military operation claimed thousands of civilian deaths and caused one of the largest peace-time civilian displacements of nearly two million Pashtuns. However, per Pakistan Army’s own public statements, the country faces renewed terrorism.

The Indian policy makers seem to be driven by the small talk of the TRP hungry TV studios that produce and package emotional gibberish as security prescriptions and seek to further divide society.

At the current movement Kashmir has entered an interesting phase where Pakistan stands totally exposed and discredited. The common Kashmiri has understood the Pakistan army’s perpetual game plan to use and abuse Kashmiris against India. That strategy has exhausted its appeal and allure!

Following the Pahalgam massacre, the Kashmiris came out openly in support of the “Hindu tourists” and have taken out solidarity marches shouting slogans in support of India. This must be nurtured and harvested for greater good and long-term peace.

Going against the hapless families and promoting a “bulldozer culture” seeks to counter the positive mood and the sentiment on the ground.

Murtaza Shibli is a journalist