National Stand Must Be Firm Against Hostility, Says J&K Ex-DGP Swain

Summary

NEW DELHI: At a strategic policy seminar in New Delhi, former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police, RR Swain, offered sharp insights into Pakistanโ€™sโ€ฆ

NEW DELHI: At a strategic policy seminar in New Delhi, former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police, RR Swain, offered sharp insights into Pakistanโ€™s evolving tactics in the region. He noted that Islamabad and its affiliated operatives in J&K are deliberately avoiding overt military escalation. โ€œRather than launching a conventional conflict, they are engaging in a prolonged, low-intensity campaignโ€”delivering calculated, incremental disruptions aimed at keeping the region unstable,โ€ Swain observed.

 

 

Highlighting the broader implications, Swain said Pakistan is working to increase the cost of Indiaโ€™s engagement in J&K, hoping to provoke internal doubts about the long-term viability of its mission in the region. He added that this is paired with a global messaging effort designed to frame India as a barrier to progress, portraying the territoryโ€™s future as bleak under Indian governance.

 

 

 

Addressing persistent doubts about the stability in J&K after the 2019 revocation of Article 370, Swain acknowledged that some politicians and groups still claim the peace is forced, not organic. โ€œBut anyone who visits the region can see the change for themselvesโ€”these arguments donโ€™t hold up,โ€ he said.

 

Calling Indiaโ€™s democracy โ€œa sacred value,โ€ Swain stressed the importance of forging a unified national front on matters of security. โ€œWe need to rise above political divides and speak in one voice on Jammu and Kashmir. Mixed messaging only benefits those looking to exploit us,โ€ he asserted.

 

In a striking revelation, Swain pointed to the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Associationโ€™s preamble, which for nearly three decades described Kashmir as a disputed region and sought international intervention. โ€œThis was authored by individuals who swore allegiance to the Constitution of India, yet contradicted it openly in court,โ€ he said.

 

Urging the nation to remain steady, Swain said itโ€™s crucial not to be distracted by fluctuating violence levels or to turn criticism inward. โ€œWe must stay committed. If our national policy is to not engage with those acting against us, then we must follow it through without hesitation,โ€ he concluded.