Kashmir: Army Never Says No To People In Distress

For many years, troops have been carrying pregnant women and other critically sick individuals to hospitals on foot in J&K throughout the winter months. Residents in far-flung locations have just one hope, which is Army soldiers or other security force jawans who are stationed in their communities throughout the year.

A video clip recently went popular on social media showing Indian Army soldiers carrying a pregnant woman to a hospital on their shoulders through thick snowfall in north Kashmir's Uri region. Locals from Ghagar Hill hamlet in Boniyar had requested the assistance of an Army unit in their region to transport a pregnant woman to the hospital. In the middle of severe snowstorm, the jawans carried the woman 6.5 kilometres to the local health centre on their shoulders.

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An Army evacuation team took another pregnant woman on a stretcher from snowbound Ramnagri village to the district hospital in south Kashmir's Shopian district.

Three patients were flown to Kupwara by BSF jawans from the snow-covered Tangdhar sector. During the winter, snowfall and mud slides block the road, cutting Tangdhar off for days at a time.

Apart from battling the Pakistan-sponsored insurgency, Army is helping the local people.DW/wikipedia

Always in the foreground

Apart from battling the Pakistan-sponsored insurgency, security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir have always been at the forefront of helping the local people. During the winter months, the Army is frequently called upon to assist civil government in reaching out to populations living in hilly locations. The army and other security personnel have never turned down a request. Even if residents contact security forces directly for help, it is given to them without any suggestion from local authorities since local commanders do not want people to be caught up in wrangles.

The security forces' people-friendly attitude has helped them win the hearts of the public. In severe conditions, the people of Jammu and Kashmir rely significantly on the security forces.

Local Army troops stationed in remote locations continue to organise medical and other camps for the local populace. In the winter, these groups also distribute rations, clothing, blankets, and quilts to the locals so that they are prepared to face the harsh cold.

Army of the People

Pakistan and its supporters in Jammu and Kashmir have sought over the last thirty years to portray the Indian Army and other Central military forces as "occupational troops," but their falsehoods and deception have failed. In J&K, the security forces have developed good ties with the local population. Officers and jawans have always been accessible for the ordinary guy, whatever the odds. They have safeguarded him from militants and guaranteed that anytime a civilian is in need, the armed forces are quick to respond.

Security personnel has harmed terrorists and their superiors on the other side of the Line of Control.Northlines/wikipedia

The Army has saved individuals from accident sites and averted a village fire from destroying the entire hamlet in the past. Soldiers and civilians have formed a deep relationship. Residents of J&K's trust in security personnel has harmed terrorists and their superiors on the other side of the Line of Control. Many citizens have been identified as security force informants and assassinated by ultras during the last 30 years.

There was a period when terrorist organisations would issue edicts to the public, instructing them not to visit security forces camps or attend their programmes. The general public, on the other hand, resisted the pressure and maintained a friendly relationship with the security services.

A normal citizen in J&K has demonstrated that ultras are not their allies by assisting security forces in combating militancy. Ultras' main goal is to disturb people's life and kill people in order to wage Pakistan's proxy war.

Also read: Pakistani terrorist killed in Poonch, J&K

A ordinary citizen in J&K was unable to express his thoughts openly until August 5, 2019, when the Centre declared its plan to abolish J&K's special status and partition it into two Union Territories. However, nationalist voices have gotten more prominent in the last two years. They're calling a spade a spade and admitting who is their ally and who is their adversary.

The security forces have always had a human face and a large heart. When an earthquake struck Kashmir in 2005, it destroyed villages, hamlets, and cities, but the security forces sheltered civilians in their camps and assisted them in reconstructing their houses.

When the biggest floods in Kashmir's history struck in 2014, central armed personnel, including the Indian Air Force, were among the first to reach out to the stranded civilians. The security forces used their boats and men to help residents get out of the waterlogged parts of Kashmir. Thousands of people were evacuated and transported to safer locations by IAF aircraft.

(IANS/PR)

(Keywords: Kashmir, India, Pakistan, Security personals, Forefoot security, Helping people, Snowfall, Remote are in Kashmir, Army, BSF)