Editor,
At the very heart of a tourist resort of Pahalgam, the loss of lives, leaving at least 26 dead in one of the heinous attacks in years, the focal point has once again shifted to Kashmir, hitting the economic nerve centre-Tourism. When do we learn the lessons of History? 4 March, 2019 Open magazine cover story titled, ‘The Last and Lost War of Pakistan’ by MJ Akbar gives a bird’s-eye view on the art of deception of the Pulwama attack, we have failed to learn and innocent blood have shed because of the laxity in the intelligence mechanism. Pakistan, remotely controlled by their Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate and our security services, is working on a thin line of both psychological and diplomatic demands of a sensitive state. We understand that state and non-state actors are studying unorthodox tactics, using small, swift teams that strike in urban environments with cyber kinetics. To study the human element in a converging battle space, Former General Officer Commanding 15 Corps (Srinagar), 21 Corps & Military Secretary Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), was able to bridge the division and Kashmiri awaam(people) through his hearts and minds theory.
India’s presence on the world stage is increasing and with neighbours like Bangladesh becoming belligerent and closer with Beijing, watchful radical elements trained in foreign lands can destabilise the eastern fringe. Carol Christine Fair, associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University book “In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba” throws a detailed insight into Lashkar-e-Tayyaba continuing importance and its thrust towards Pakistan’s regional and domestic affairs.
Christopher Gatphoh,
Laitkor Rngi
Shillong-10
