Srinagar: Former corps commander of the Army’s Chinar Corps, Lt Gen DP Pandey (Retd), on Saturday expressed hope that the newly-elected representatives in Jammu and Kashmir would not let the hard-earned peace and stability in the Union Territory be jeopardised.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Kashmir Literature Festival, Pandey said the people of Kashmir should firmly hold and nurture peace and stability like their children.
“I can see smiling faces around. I think that is a major change of positivity that is happening. I think there is a sense of hope that has come about in the last five to six years. This peace and stability had come before as well but the people of Kashmir lost it,” he said.
“I hope what they have got with great difficulty, they hold it firmly and nurture it and mature it as their children,” said the former commander of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps.
He said it was essential to maintain peace so that the future generations did not have to witness the disturbed environment that the past generations had to endure.
“I pray that Kashmir gets some time so that peace and stability remain,” he added.
Pandey, who served as the Chinar Corps’ commander from March 2021 to May 2022, expressed hope that the newly-elected Union Territory government would not allow any such act that could vitiate peace.
“I really hope the people in the present government and the opposition don’t let any such step take place that vitiates this peace and stability, which has been earned after several sacrifices made by us,” he said.
He said peace and stability had been achieved through the people of Jammu and Kashmir, supported by the security forces.
“I think there is a great free hand given to the law and order machinery in that sense. More importantly, the people participated in getting this law and order together,” Pandey said.
The former corps commander said the organisers of strikes and protests used to benefit financially as even “our government used to pay them to not hold protests”.
“There was a strategy here to organise bandhs, protests. The ones who used to put up bandhs and protests used to benefit because they used to get money from outside, even our government used to give them money to not hold bandhs and protests,” Pandey said.
“But, there was a bureaucratic environment, teachers, professors, government servants also used to benefit as they were earning salary while sitting at home,” he added.
Pandey said it was the common man who suffered as their work and studies were affected.
“When the civil society started acknowledging that they were suffering, they started pushing for the thing (peace). The Jammu Kashmir Police or security apparatus or the law and order machinery were only enablers,” the former corps commander said.
“When you understand that you are being harmed, your future is being ruined and the rest of the world is moving ahead, you take steps so that there is a peaceful environment and you can live like the rest of the country’s people,” he said.
“So, this security has come because of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, supported by the security forces. If you don’t want it, it won’t happen. I hope that the sensibility remains,” Pandey said.
Referring to the literature festival, the former Army officer said, “The youngsters here also want such intellectual, intelligent and mature programmes to take place because the sports arena is separate and politics is different.”
“When a lit fest is organised, it shows that the youngsters as well as other sections of society are getting aware about books, which is the final step towards normality,” he said.
The two-day Kashmir Literature Festival kicked off at SKICC on Saturday.
Pandey advised the youngsters to stay away from drugs, radicalisation and extremism as these would only lead to destruction.
“The people who are trying to take you on the wrong path are not doing that themselves but they ask you to do it for their agenda,” he said.
“Save yourselves from that agenda-driven environment, bring an atmosphere of prosperity and ask your government how it will provide jobs, and how to tread the modern path,” he added.
Rather than discussing the past, Pandey suggested that the youngsters look at the future.
“The future is extremely bright… But, if you work for somebody else, you will never have that bright future. I only wish the youngsters the best in the world,” he added.
