‘Terrorists vs Terrorists’: Militias are no Solution, Mr Parrikar

The use of civilians, or reformed insurgents for operations has a worrying past in Kashmir and Maoist affected areas.

A still from the Bollywood adaptation of Hamlet, Haider starring Shahid Kapoor. The film takes a surreal look at the trauma caused by the “use terrorists to kill terrorists” policy. (Photo: Haider/UTV Motion Pictures)

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar found himself in the middle of a controversy with his “you have to fight terrorists with terrorists only” remark, ahead of his Kashmir visit last week. The comment has brought back memories of the dreaded Ikhwanis, a government-sponsored counter-terrorism unit made up of former militants in the state.

The J&K government has said, in no uncertain terms, that a revival of the ‘Ikhwanis’ or a similar force is out of the question.

The revival of the dark era of Ikhwanis is not possible as such practices were not only illegal and unconstitutional, but unethical as well. Whosoever is dishing out such absurd views, is grossly ignorant about both the ground realities in Kashmir and the law.
— Education Minister Naeem Akhtar to ANI

The use of civilians, or reformed insurgents for operations has a chequered history not just in Kashmir, but also in Maoist-affected areas as well as the Northeast.

The Brutality of (Non) Government Militias

Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider (an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet) found the perfect setting in the Kashmir of the ’90s. The madness of Hamlet became the turmoil of Haider so easily because the political circumstances created in Kashmir by the ‘employ terrorists to destroy terrorists’ policy.

Kuka Parray, founder of the Ikhwan-ul-Muslemoon or Ikhwani’s was shot dead by militants in 2002. (Photo: Reuters)

In 1995, many militants gave up arms. They were ‘re-drafted’ by the security forces, armed and deployed against militants as Ikhwanis. The subsequent operations and encounters led to many alleged human rights violations and ‘missing persons’. Till today, many families do not know if their loved ones are missing, or dead. It was this uncertainty that made Shahid Kapoor’s madness in Haider so compelling. The death of a family member is bad enough, but not knowing where or when or even if they died can make anyone lose their grip on reality.

The record of such militias has been questionable in other parts of the country as well. Salwa Judum was a part of anti-Naxal operations in Chattisgarh. The government armed the militia, consisting largely of tribal youth to counter Maoist violence in the state. There were, of course, several allegations of human rights violations.

Tribal members of the Salwa Judum , a self-defense force of villagers organised to challenge Maoists, gather in Gudma village, about 450km (279 miles) south of Raipur. (Photo: Reuters)

But perhaps the most shocking accusation against the government sponsored, extra-judicial outfit was the recruitment of ‘child soldiers’.

An Unthinking Statement

Given this background, the controversy created by the Defence Minister’s statement is understandable. The use-terrorists-to-defeat-terrorists policy has had disastrous effects in the not-so-distant past.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh during the minister’s visit to Kashmir. (Photo: PTI)

Manohar Parrikar has since tried to ‘clarify’ his statement, saying that he was referring to intelligence gathering and not arming former militants. However, his statement is especially careless given that the Supreme Court has already deemed the Salwa Judum illegal.

It is the job of the law and in some cases, the armed forces to deal with attacks on India. It is a job for professionals. Can it be sub-contracted to former insurgents.