The Tuesday Interview | ‘Kashmiris are with India. It’s a great time to get them together, not punish them’

‘Kashmiris are with India. It’s a great time to get them together, not punish them’

Even at 85, Amarjit Singh Dulat talks about Kashmir with the passion of a 25-year-old. The retired director of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) has tracked the troubled region for four decades and knows it like the back of his hand. Dulat is the author of five books, all of which, as he puts it, “have Kashmir in them”. His latest work, The Chief Minister and the Spy: An Unlikely Friendship, focuses on Farooq Abdullah, whom he calls “the tallest leader of Kashmir”. The book, however, stirred controversy after Farooq Abdullah objected to a purported passage that suggests he “quietly” supported the abrogation of Article 370 while opposing it publicly. In this interview with DH’s Muthi-ur-Rahman Siddiqui, Dulat talks about all things Kashmir.

Excerpts:

What are your thoughts on the Pahalgam attack?

It was terrible because tourists were never attacked in Kashmir, except in isolated incidents. What has also changed is the response of Kashmiris. The average Kashmiri thinks the Pahalgam attack was horrendous, and he is fully with India on this. The entire Kashmiri leadership is with India. The Abdullahs, the Muftis, Sajjad Lone, the separatists, the Mirwaiz... That’s rare.

Was it the work of non-State actors, or was Pakistan involved? 

There’s no doubt in my mind that Pakistan is involved. There’s also no doubt in my mind that this sort of thing cannot happen without local support. That’s something we have to think deeply about.

Why is there still local support for militancy? 

Kashmiris want to feel Indian and to be treated like the rest of the country. And our answer is that you are treated better than the rest of the country. Therein lies the problem (chuckles). A Kashmiri is still with Delhi but not totally at peace with himself. It’s a good opportunity to take Kashmir to your side.

In the last 2-3 years, terrorism has gone down to Poonch and Rajouri (in the Jammu region). We are witnessing hybrid terrorism. We know Kashmiri boys are involved. But we don’t know if all are Kashmiris. There could be
Pakistanis plying three-wheelers or running fruit stalls. 

India’s surgical strikes in 2016 and 2019 don’t seem to have deterred attacks.  

The best deterrence to attacks from the other side is when Kashmiris are with you; everything will be with you. The Kashmiri leadership has come out in Delhi’s support. It’s a good time for Delhi to take advantage (of this) and restore Kashmiri dignity and statehood.

What’s your view on the bulldozing of militants’ homes in Kashmir?

This is a great time to get Kashmiris together, not punish them. The Kashmiri is not to be blamed for what is happening. Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) and Mirwaiz have been saying that innocent people should not be punished or harmed. Delhi should also take care of Kashmiris living outside Kashmir.

How do you assess India’s likely response?

I hope there is no full-blown confrontation. I would still say it would be the last bad option. But there’s jingoism on both sides. When the PM says, “We will hunt these people down,” I don’t know what he has on his mind. Whether it’s just Pakistan or also (includes) Kashmir.

Do you see India and Pakistan ever reaching a peace deal?

Backchannel negotiations between India and Pakistan have always happened, but they weren’t enough. There’s a ceasefire, which still holds despite recent violations. (Narendra) Modi has had the best chance because he’s a strong BJP prime minister. Imran Khan and then-army chief (Qamar Javed) Bajwa wanted peace. It was a good pair, but we didn’t take advantage of it. Modi has a good equation with Nawaz Sharif. Track One (government-to-government) talks are required. But nobody is even talking about peace. People like me who talk of peace get trolled.

What’s the solution to the Kashmir problem? 

There’s only one solution, if there’s one, and that’s on the Line of Control. As Dr Farooq has said it 40 times: “What’s yours is yours, and what’s ours is ours. We can’t take what you have; you can’t take what we have.”

Why is Farooq Abdullah upset with your book?

He was apparently angry with me. Somebody, somewhere, created mischief and misquoted me. The purported sentence (that Farooq quietly supported the abrogation of Article 370) is not there in the book. What I said was that Dr Farooq Abdullah was heartbroken — like everybody else — (and asked) why Delhi had to do it. There’s nothing left of Article 370. It’s only a fig leaf. Farooq said he knew the BJP would do it because it was on their agenda.

Farooq Abdullah has always been with Delhi but has always been fighting Delhi, which Delhi neither understood nor appreciated. He is complex, like Kashmir. The only PM with whom he never had a problem was (H D) Deve Gowda.

He says, “My father was always with India. I am with India. My son is with
India. But what do I say to my grandchildren now?”