Former Indian Army Chief (2010-2012), General Vijay Kumar Singh’s admission of operating the TSD (Technical Services Division) and the surreptitious use of Secret Service (SS) funds to bribe Jammu & Kashmir Minister of Agriculture Ghulam Hasan Mir to engineer a change in the State Government, have created a furor amongst the politicians of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and embarrassed the Indian Army. More importantly, his frank admissions have confirmed this scribe and numerous other analysts’ comments for years that the Indian Army, under the influence of Hindu extremist groups, is calling the shots and has been machinating to destabilise Pakistan. This is contrary to Indian claims of being the world’s largest democracy.
IOK’s National Conference leadership has been asserting that the 2010 violence in the state was orchestrated by General VK Singh during his tenure as Indian Army Chief and he is culpable for the prevailing state of morass in IOK.
VK Singh revealed on a local TV Channel that the Indian Army doles out cash to those political figures in IOK who help the Indian Federal Government in maintaining stability in the state and keeping it under unyielding Indian control. VK Singh revealed that Indian Army has a mechanism to provide money to selected leaders in Jammu & Kashmir but failed to explain as to where such money was exactly spent. Reacting to the confession, National Conference has demanded a probe by either the judiciary or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the SS funds scam.
The disclosure by the Indian Army Chief corroborates India’s coercive tactics to keep Kashmir illegitimately under its rule. To fulfill its hegemonic design, both carrot and stick policies are being used. Draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) wreak havoc on the hapless Kashmiris while corrupt politicians are bribed to enforce a farcical calm and sabotage the freedom struggle. Simultaneously, Pakistan is falsely blamed for cross border terrorism to maintain pressure on India’s arch rival.
A senior Indian TDS official has confessed that the outfit was disbanded on the plea that it started spying on the members of Indian Defence Ministry. In fact its disbandment was ordered as professionals employed in the TDS have found signs of involvement of Indian Defence Ministry in terrorism and violent acts of sabotage.
For Pakistan, the exposé confirms age-old suspicion that Indian Military Intelligence Unit–TDS–has been illegally operating inside Pakistan for which India owes an explanation to Pakistan. It is imperative that our Foreign Office seek an explanation from the Indian Government, asking it to clarify its position and extend an apology to Pakistani public for putting their lives and property at risk.
General VK Singh has appeared in public sharing the dais with Narendra Modi, hardliner BJP leader. Indian whistleblower Tehelka.com had presented 'irrefutable' evidence that the killings of Muslims post-Godhra train carnage in Gujarat was 'not a spontaneous swell of anger but a genocide' planned and executed by top functionaries of the Sangh Parivar and state authorities 'with the sanction' of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the nominee for the slot of Prime Minister if BJP comes to power in the forthcoming general elections.
It must be remembered that various acts of terrorism targeting Muslims in India like the attack on the Malegaon mosque, along with explosions at Ajmer's Sufi shrine, Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid, an explosion in Delhi's Jamia Masjid, bombing of Samjhota Express (killing 60 Pakistanis) and an explosion in Gujarat are linked to a terror campaign of Abhinav Bharat, a group of ultra-radical Hindus, allegedly unleashed to avenge jihadi attacks. Abhinav Bharat is managed by Himani Veer Savarkar, who resides in Pune and her hard-line Hindutva roots are well entrenched. She is the daughter of Gopal Godse, the brother of Nathuram Godse (assassin of Mahatma Gandhi) and is married to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s nephew. Savarkar is the founder of “Hindutva”.
A serving Indian Military Intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit, who was involved in the heinous crimes mentioned above with other retired military personnel, is a confessed member of Abhinav Bharat. He is a product of Abhinav Bharat’s Bhonsala Military School, established by Dr.Munje, a patron of Dr.Hedgewar–the founder of the RSS. Purohit has also served as instructor at the institution, where Hindu youth are provided military training and are now finding place in senior ranks of Indian Armed Forces. They are imbibed with teachings of Hindutva to strike terror in the hearts of non Hindus. Thus there is method in the madness revealed by VK Singh.
The writer is a former group captain of PAF, who also served as air and naval attaché at Riyadh. Currently, he is a columnist, analyst and host of programme Defence and Diplomacy on PTV.