Sajjad Bazaz
Some time back, in a private discussion on fast changing habits with an educationist friend, we debated book reading culture losing its space to internet-based platforms. As we were busy pitching our opinions on the subject, one thing surfaced during the discussion that book writing, especially in the context of Kashmir, is gaining momentum as a new breed of authors is venturing into the areas of human interest stories in contemporary times.
Basically, Kashmir is a green pasture for journalists and writers. The place is full of anecdotes that need to be captured in true form so that misinformation campaigns about Kashmir and its people are neutralized. During the discussion, my friend asked me about “Mukhbir”. I was clueless as I only knew how scary the word “Mukhbir” was during the three decades of militancy in Kashmir.
“It is a book on Kashmir written by a decorated army officer serving in Kashmir for the last fifteen years,” he said while giving some finer details of the book.
The title “Mukhbir” was enough for me to understand that the book must not be a routine in content describing history and geography of Kashmir conflict, but it will be full of first-hand accounts of situations confronted by the author while being in the line of his duty. My friend endorsed my guess and even shared its title page on WhatsApp which raised my curiosity to meet the author – Brigadier Sushil Tanwar, a highly decorated serving officer in the Indian Army who besides performing his soldierly duties with distinction, is also known as a prolific writer. He has a distinction of serving in United Nations peacekeeping in Africa.
Somehow, I was able to meet the officer in the context of his “Mukhbir” and in a candid conversation he spoke his heart out on Kashmir and the Kashmiris. He spoke more with a mind as an author, than a military mind. His assessment about the Kashmir affairs vouches for him as a knowledgeable man with wisdom.
I found the Brigadier possessing huge experience of serving in Jammu and Kashmir, which makes him a credible source of telling inside stories about the place and its people beyond military operations. I came across his articles and papers on issues of national security published by leading think tanks of the country including the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) & Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS). He also writes regularly for newspapers and magazines of repute.
His article published in the Economic Times on July 02, 2021 headlined “A Serving Indian Army Officer Dons Pakistani Hat and Views the Kargil Through Rawalpindi Prism” is a masterpiece. “The article basically aimed to exploit gaps in Indian positions in the Dras-Mushkoh Sect and capture the unoccupied heights across the Line of Control so that we could interdict movement on the Leh – Kargil National highway. Such was the cloak of secrecy that leave aside the political leadership even our Air Force and Navy were kept in dark,” says Brigadier Sushil Tanwar.
The book has got great reviews and many publications have hailed the author for this piece of literary work, that too in hindi language, based on facts, not the fiction. The author has moved beyond cliches and stereotypes to present a narrative that truly reflects the ground realities of Kashmir.
A heart-touching collection of seventeen short stories, the 192-page book “Mukhbir” takes the reader to a fascinating world of complex human emotions. Each story brings to life not only the operational aspects of security forces but also the daily experiences of common Kashmiris.
There is a realistic description of intelligence operations and the human emotions involved in the stories, which holds the reader’s attention without a blink of an eye. Author’s nuanced approach to storytelling, his acute depiction of local culture, razor sharp sketches of characters and use of simple prose immediately strikes a personal chord with the reader. Precisely, the book presents a vivid account of various dimensions of the rich heritage of Jammu & Kashmir.
Stories like “Love Jihad” capturing the roller coaster ride of a Pakistani terrorist who falls in love with a girl in Kashmir; “Sena Medal” taking the readers for a deep immersive dive into the mind of a Rashtriya Rifles Company Commander and other wide-ranging true tales makes ‘Mukhbir’ a priceless read. The capturing of the moral dilemmas and emotional trappings of not only the security forces, but also of the various segments of local population in Jammu and Kashmir through story-telling takes the readers on a pleasantly fascinating journey getting intimately identified with the characters.
A Tale of My “Mukhbir”
“Give a dog a bad name and hang him” is a popular phrase. Though all of us understand the meaning of this idiom, I will still repeat it in the context of today’s column. The given line is an old idiom and If any time this strikes your ears, then take it as a case of criticism. Precisely, this phrase describes a situation when someone is condemning the other person purely based on a false narrative or negative reputation. The net result is that these untrue charges ruin a man’s reputation with no chance of ever re-earning it and respectability is lost once for all.
In the context of Kashmir, this phrase has been widely used since the day militancy erupted. Here, it is summed up in one word “Mukhbir”. In most of the cases, the persons with this ‘bad name’ not only lost their reputation in public, but also got killed at the hands of gunmen. Some militant organizations owned these “Mukhbir” killings while as many remained a mystery. Even the families of these victims faced social stigma and always remained under the threat of militants. Pertinently, the “Mukhbir” label was slapped by the militant groups at sweet will on the persons accused of working for security agencies. Even this “Mukhbir” tag was used by the militant organizations as a weapon to make people fall in line with their designs or face the consequences. It was used by them as a convenient route for extortion. In this situation, people would easily fall in line to their dictate to save their reputation and escape being labelled as “Mukhbir”.
While deliberating upon the”Mukhbir” culture in Kashmir which was driven at the back of armed militant organizations, I cannot resist sharing an untold story of my next door neighbour, Shahdeen (name changed) who fell to the “Mukhbir” tag in early nineties and lost his life.Shahdeen was a government employee in his late forties when he along with his only son, Majid (name changed), was abducted by unknown militants during a midnight raid on his house. Nobody in the neighborhood was aware of the abduction until his wife informed in the wee hours about the midnight raid on their house by some masked armed men. In the first instance, it was believed to be a security forces raid. But why this family was raided, was most surprising for the neighbours. Certainly, the family was nowhere connected to any militancy related situation. His abduction by militants was not even thought about, as the everybody pointed his arrest possibly by security forces. Precisely, it was a dilemma.
The story of his abduction unfolded just before noon when his son Majid reached back home in a crippled condition as he was hardly able to walk. It was a shocker to neighbors when he narrated the tale of abduction by militants for being “Mukhbir” of security forces. Though the father-son duo had pleaded innocence, they were beaten to the pulp.
The words of Majid are still echoing in my ears. “Papa is badly injured and is bleeding profusely through mouth and nose. He needs immediate hospitalization. Please help,” he said with tears in his eyes.
Majid was allowed to go home by the abductors and promised to release his father after he gains consciousness. The neighbors were clueless as the militant driven “Mukhbir” culture had scared the common man. Once a person would be labelled “Mukhbir”, the community’s spontaneous reaction was to impose social boycott against the accused person and his family. Meanwhile, by evening the bullet-ridden body of our innocent neighbor Shahdeen was thrown on the roadside in the vicinity. A pall of gloom descended on the whole neighborhood as the community was not ready to accept that he was a “Mukhbir”. However, militants released posters claiming responsibility of executing the “Mukhbir” and warned people of raising any hue and cry over the killing.
Basically, the story of Shahdeen losing his life to “Mukhbir” tag is not an isolated incident. There are many Shahdeens who fell to the bullets of militants because the phrase “Give a dog a bad name and hang him” was applied to them as a death warrant.
(The author is former Head of Corporate Communications & CSR Department and Internal Communication & Knowledge Management Department, J & K Bank)
