Kashmir unrest: Don't blame the Doval doctrine, blame the enemy within

The message from Delhi was clear and that there shall be no talks with the separatists of Jammu and Kashmir until the stone pelting stops. The Ajit Doval doctrine for Kashmir makes it clear that there shall be no appeasement. “Let them go on, they will tire out,” he had said during a speech a few years which famously went on to become the Doval doctrine.

There are many who have blamed the doctrine and say that only talks can solve the problem in Jammu and Kashmir. However, an analysis of the situation would show that between December and January there was a sense of calm that had returned to the Valley and the doctrine had, in fact, worked.

Security analysts say that if violence has returned to the Valley it is not because the doctrine has failed. It is only because the enemy is within. General Qamar Javed Bajwa, after taking over as the Pakistan army chief appeared to have made a promising start.

However, by March, the violence in Kashmir was back and the new chief of the army in Pakistan did exactly what his predecessor Raheel Sharif did.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that there is no point in talking to the separatists as they do not want peace. Even if they decide to talk, Pakistan would nudge them and ensure that violence breaks out every day.

For the Doval doctrine to work, the need of the hour is a change in mindset among the politicians in Kashmir. They cannot appease the separatists and need to take tough measures against them. The question is will someone muster up the courage and hit the separatists. They may have stopped issuing their calendar of protests like they did for nearly six months after Burhan Wani, the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed in July.

Today, the violence is in auto-mode. People have been coming out on the streets on their own and instigating violence. To add to the problem are the dozens of handlers that Pakistan has managed to infiltrate into the Valley. These persons distribute large chunks of cash to ensure that the violence continues unabated. To sum it up, one should not blame the Doval doctrine for the problem, but the enemy within.