Monday, March 25, 2013

Wars are Tough, & Peace is Tougher

Armies of The World now Increasingly have a Mandate to Provide for The People who Suffer in conflict zones, and The Indian Army has led by Example through Operation Sadbhavana

Countries may or may not win wars. But people, more often than not, lose them. And when it comes to people who are unfortunate enough to be living in conflict zones, the losses are often incalculable and beyond repair.

In that sense, their disdain or even detestation for the very forces that are meant to protect them is hard to question. But then, the Army’s prime responsibility is to protect the borders of a nation and its people from external attack. Aren’t armies across the world doing enough by risking their lives and fighting the enemy in conflict zones? Or should their role indeed go beyond it?

“If you look at all the conflict regions of the world, for example Afghanistan, Libya and also within our country, be it Jammu & Kashmir or the North East regions, the Army is extremely functional in protecting and safeguarding the boundaries and the people”, says P. K. Shah Jahan, Assistant Professor, Centre for Community Organisation & Development Practice, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. However, it is also true that a number of human rights violations have been reported against the Indian Army, which have tarnished its image. To cite an instance, Amnesty International had highlighted the issue of mass graves of hundreds of people being found near border areas in J&K. While the Army claims that they were armed militants, conflicting reports claim they were bodies of a number of civilians. To be true, allegations outnumber official reports by large numbers, and it is tough to confirm or discount such claims. But it is important to realise that these reports significantly enhance the negative perception in the minds of people in conflict zones, ironically for the very forces that are trying to protect them.

Protecting the rights and privileges of countrymen on the basis of feuds related to religion, ethnicity and nationality, protecting them from external attacks, handling extreme mishaps and situations, et al are only one side of the coin. Armies today are expected to play an important role when it comes to promoting peace as well as building bridges. In recognition of this fact, Operation Sadbhavana was a unique programme launched by the Indian Army in 1998.

The underlying objective was to bring back peace and faith in the lives of people of J&K, who were totally ravaged by terrorist attacks and the resulting clampdowns. Rampant blazing of schools, government buildings and other important centres had spread terror all around. An immediate program to ensure the safety of people as well as helping them move back to normal lives was required. The Northern Command took help of Operation Sadbhavna to promote developmental activities. The underlying theme of Operation Sadbhavna has been to ‘help the people of J&K to help themselves’.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles

Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,