Dispirited by a government that seems soft on the intifada in Kashmir, Madhav Nalapat says trouble is brewing in the military.
During the 63 years that India has been a free country, only once has an army chief ever veered close to planning a coup along the lines of the Pakistan model. That was Joyanto Nath Choudhuri, who was better at writing than at war, having conceded a stalemate to a vastly inferior Pakistan force in 1965.
Before him and since, the military has remained loyal to its civilian masters, even during the many periods when they’ve indulged in favouritism or in procurement scams. But there are signs now that a revolt may be brewing within the uniformed services over what they see as the United Progressive Front government's unwillingness to back them in their often bloody battle against Maoists, insurgents and jihadists across the country.
The resentment is greatest in Kashmir, a consequence of Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi's ‘Look the other way’ policy towards the well-organized intifada now taking place in that state. The movement is designed to attract international intervention in the state—preferably of a military nature—similar to that which occurred in Kosovo. This might seem like an outlandish idea, but the separatist leaders in Kashmir (who preach their venom openly while living in opulence) have been made to believe by their handlers in Pakistan that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and CIA chief Leon Panetta are in favour of robust US mediation in Kashmir. Such intervention, they believe, would ultimately ensure that the state would, in effect, become independent from India.
They claim that Pakistan's army chief of staff, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has made it clear to the US trio that his military's support for NATO operations in the Af-Pak Pashtun belt is conditional on such an outcome in Kashmir.
Certainly, US and other Western diplomats have ensured there’s a steady diet of reports on the intifada in Western media, almost none of which point out that the movement is confined to just a section of the Sunni population in the Kashmir Valley and is opposed by the majority of the population in the region comprising Shias, Gujjars, Bakkerwals, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. Indeed, the Western media reports also ignore the reality that what the Valley Sunni separatists seek is a religious state where the Saudi version of Sharia law would form the basis of jurisprudence.
Whatever the compulsions of Clinton, Gates and Panetta, the fact remains that the Sonia-led UPA has followed the Western press and diplomatic corps in ignoring the ‘silent majority’ in Kashmir, refusing to factor in the views of the non-Valley Sunni elements in the state.
Photo Credit: Uniphoto Press
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kr
LOL, If the army is concerned about the nation, they would have revolted against middle men in all defense deals. The list of misdeeds and scams of armed forces in no less.
Badri
The governments at Center and State are just robbing the people blind. I fully support the Indian military teaching these gutless thieves a lesson. I didnt imagine myself saying this five years ago. It is time for the military to get serious about flexing some muscles. In fact I think it will be the civilian government will set of a series of moves in their insecurity to keep milking this cash cow of country. These actions will put the military in a situation of no other choice but to take over. At any case if you are the military leadership do you risk complete demoralization or do you try to save your men.
shudip
It is rather fanciful to surmise that then Army Chief Gen JN Chowdhury was planning a coup. It should be dismissed as a figment of Nalapat’s imagination. In millions of media commentaries and academic discussions, nobody has over the years even whispered such a possibility. I wonder from where Nalapat got the rather far fetched idea. The Indian Army like its civilian counterpart has always been loyal to political authority.
Jawan
A maoist dream most unlikely to come true. The author exhibits his personal ideology induced wishful thinking without having the slightest clue about the true nature of Indians. Indian Army is made up of Indians and so there can be no Coup. Maybe if the Indian Army was a ideological, religious, racist or sectarian Army the author would have stood a chance but these things the Indian Army is not and so no coup.
janjua
well what i see from the above post is that people are not understanding the term Pakistan type military coup!!!!
it should not be taken in the reference of army chief becoming the chief rather it is taken in the concept of bloodless coup!!!
janjua
sorry mistake in the last line not the chief the president!!!!
Rajendra
I partially agree with the writer that in the name of colorful Democracy Politician,Babus and Cops are making hay.Common man in this political regime is suffering.Politician under Man mohan do not help cause of common man.They all are wandering in their own world.Indian Military is relegated to the last priority by Babus and Netas for their own benefits.Veterans are not taken care of.Other Central Police Personnel which has more strength collectively than the Army can not operate against terrorists,but the Home Ministry thinks that they can take on Army during Coo.In a Democracy Military is one of the main pillar if the pillar is not maintained it will crumble against external aggression. Or before it happens Military will take over the hollow democracy.
Raymond Turney
Hi,
It seems quite possible that the Indian Army will make some trouble for the civilian leadership, by leaking things to the press and BJP, voting BJP, etc,
A Pakistan style coup seems very unlikely. Something like that would depend on a civilian buraucracy being willing to cooperate with the army, and relative apathy from the Indian public. These conditions are usually met when a country is falling apart, Currently India is doing pretty well economically, and most of the civilian bureaucrats think they know more about what India should do than the military does.
There is no political force, comparable to the PPP under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which threatens the rest of the political system snough to persuade them to accept the army as an alternative.
Finally, the mere fact that the Indian army has not attempted a coup so far is a reason to bet against one. Armies tend to do what they have done before.
But they culd certainly look to the way the US military deals with the Washington elite and start manipulating New Delhi the way the US military manipulates Washington,
Ray,