Qaisar Mansoor
Assassination of Indian CDS Bipin Rawat in a mysterious helicopter crash has given birth to many questions that shall continue to haunt over the years. Ex DGMO of Indian Army, Lt Gen (Retd) Shankar Prasad said, “Mi-17V5 is an extremely reliable helicopter, its advanced technology and excellent safety record makes it suitable for VVIP transportation.
Furthermore, only highly experienced pilots and technicians are detailed for operating such aircrafts. In this purview, the odds of a mechanical error are astronomical. Gen (Retd) Shankar expressed his doubts saying, “Is it possible that the disaster we all witnessed was man-made, by the resentful black-sheeps within the armed forces fraternity?”
Earlier, in a letter to Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh CDS Biopin Rawat put the onus of Gulawn Valley incident on Indian COAS Manoj Naravane and urged his removal from the post. Lt Gen (Retd) Shankar Prasad pointed towards the bone of contention between CDS Rawat and IAF Chief by referring Bipin Rawat’s statement wherein he had said that Indian Air Force was a supporting arm and not a fighting arm itself.
He was rebuked publicly by IAF chief and was told that Air Force was an instrument of power in itself. “This public clash exposed deep differences between the tri-services over the concept of theatre commands. Was it an assassination having roots in tri services rivalry, did IAF which had resisted appointment of a CDS since 1999 finally strike, did the long silence have a reason?
Indian army is known for having loose and undisciplined military culture. Indian troops usually do not follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and regulations as well. This crash has not only exposed the lack of combat preparedness but also given a heavy blow to country’s military’s modernization drive.
On 9 April 2017, India sparked an international controversy when Farooq Ahmed Dar, an innocent Kashmiri was trussed to the spare tyre at the front of a jeep and driven on a five-hour journey by the Indian army Major Leetul Gogoi. The use of Mr. Dar as a human shield was criticized around the world. Amnesty International described it as “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment amounting to torture” but Gen Bipin Rawat suggested a special “Medal” for that army officer and defended his acts by describing the officer’s actions as an “innovation” in a “dirty war”.
Gen Bipin Rawat had also served in Kashmir and during his tenure, he proved to be their worst enemy. He treated Muslims as foreigners and occupiers in IIOJK. He coined new techniques of brutality against the innocent Kashmiris and always directed his troops to violate the ceasefire at borders with Pakistan. He was the man behind recent China- India standoff. The stubborn behavior of Gen Bipin Rawat brought the two nuclear states India and China in front of each other.
Statement of General Bipin Rawat regarding stone pelters in Kashmir back in 2017 that “I wish these people were firing at us instead of stones pelting, so I would have been happier, then I would have been able to do what I want to do” shows his barbarian mindset against the innocent Kashmiri freedom fighters. He was known for his brutal stance against Kashmir. Under his command, hundreds of Kashmiris have been killed in an inhumane way.
Now, Indian government has to probe the cause of this incident and if conspiracy will be proved in this crash, then all responsible should be brought to justice. On the other side, professionalism of the Pakistan army can be seen that General Nadeem Raza, CJCSC, and General Qamar Javed Bajwa, COAS expressed their condolences on the tragic death of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and the loss of lives in the helicopter crash. No negative comments observed from Pakistan side which shows that humanity always comes first even if it’s the loss of your worst enemy.
