Immoral and Inhuman to Think of War As Solution: Army Veterans React to Warmongering on Social Media Post Pulwama Attack
“Stop talking revenge/war sitting on easy chairs.”
Post the Pulwama terrorist attack, when on February 14, a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber had rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of nearly 40 jawans, social media has seen an exponential rise in bloodlust. Everyone wants a piece of Pakistan — from anonymous trolls on Twitter to news anchors on television. But what of the men who would be responsible for executing a war, should that situation arise? What about the soldiers, on whose behalf everyone seems to be speaking?
On social media, several veterans have aired their views. What is fascinating is that unlike the general populace, these men have a very different attitude towards the incident.
One member of the armed forces took to Twitter to write: “Been there, done that. Assembled body parts of my buddy & took him home, there were six, I don’t know which mother got which part head/ heart of which cast/religion, part of my soul went with them. Stop talking revenge/war sitting on easy chairs. Fight terror in any way if you can.”
Been there, done that. Assembled body parts of my buddy & took him home, there were 6, I don’t know which mother got which part head/ heart of which cast/religion, part of my soul went with them. Stop talking revenge/war sitting on easy chairs. Fight terror in any way if you can.
— Trooper (@pnkjshm) February 15, 2019
Colonel (Retired) DK Pillay wrote, “Not illegal to go to war, it is immoral and inhuman to think of it as a solution. Be calm, wise men will find a way to resolve the conflict. The price is paid by children, widows and parents. Mahabharata teaches us the futility of a victory at the cost of a generation! India can and will!”
Not illegal to go to war, it is immoral&inhuman to think of it as a solution. Be calm, wise men will find a way to resolve the conflict. The price is paid by children,widows& parents. Mahabharata teaches us the futility of a victory at the cost of an generation! India can & will! pic.twitter.com/QiXK27XrE0
— Colonel DPK PILLAY, PhD, Shaurya Chakra (@dpkpillay12) February 15, 2019
Major (Retired) DP Singh took to Facebook to write about how news channels behave in times like these. He wrote:
We stand by you, we stand by martyrs and their families. We must avenge the dastardly act.
And after a few days its back to business. In fact, all this hullabaloo is also a business.
Be it a political party, be it media houses or be it general public. None can understand the pain of losing life and limbs.
A soldier is prepared to lay his life smilingly for the sake of Tiranga, country and its izzat. But the question is for how long? The question is, are we making some efforts which will improve the overall system?
Today morning I was on Zee News, and the respect they carry towards soldier came out. Sharing the incident…
On Zee TV debate I tried using logic over rhetoric.
TV anchor Ms Aditi Tyagi commented: “perhaps you have not seen the pics of Pulwama that is why you do not agree that only solution is revenge, badla.”
I have grown above these things, and it was not a shock for me that a lady who is hauling, we are with you, doesn’t know that I am a wounded of war happened only a few years back. For that matter, while she introduced me, she was not even aware I hold a rank of Major.
What I said to her in reply was: “A soldier is still ready to sacrifice his life for tiranga but alongside we need to ensure that Kashmiri youth is getting more motivated to become L/Nk Nazir Wani, double Sena Medal & Ashoka Chakra ( a terrorist turned soldier & attained martyrdom) than the jihadi terrorist like Waqas commando. Efforts to be made in that area too. If a pagal padosi can enter my house and radicalise my youth and I am unable to guard them, perhaps somewhere I am wrong. Forty families are destroyed and many more will if we do not look for solutions. Before you shout out revenge, pls ask other families, parents, wives and kids, are they ready to see themselves without their hero soldier? Unless the next generation is positively motivated, we won’t see any change, and it will be a loop. Attack. Avenge. Their revenge. Our avenge and on and on.”
It took me some effort to ensure good sense prevail in her head and that happened when the whole panel spoke my language.
TV anchors, especially people like her forces words to your mouth and ensure you agree to them.
And many gullible (in order to not to lose opportunity to come on air again) keep just shouting and agreeing to nonsense. No one can even try to imagine what it takes to lose life or limb. And then knock doors of the court to get justice and dues.
We want soldiers to die, but his widows will knock door to get a pension and rightful dues ( to some it needs to prove that her husband is a martyr as the body couldn’t be found and she was told to get the body to take pension)
We want soldiers to die, but wounded ones need to go to court to get correct pension (even I had fought for seven years in AFT to prove that I am a war casualty and get my correct pension). There are 1000s cases pending in courts. (despite SC judgements and instructions to withdraw unnecessary cases, MoD is the biggest litigant).
In my last meeting with RM madam along with Maj Navdeep Singh and Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar, honourable MP, she promised to withdraw unnecessary appeals against disabled soldiers by Jan end… January ended and so her promises. Cases are still on.
We want soldiers to die, but his children Education allowance will be withdrawn as it is heavy on govt exchequer. (there are in total 3000 plus such cases only and total spending in just 3 Cr per year) it took some effort to cancel withdrawal, and that was considered as a favour by RM on widows. (The irony is she is also a female but couldn’t understand the pain of widow at the 1st instance). We all know the recent HAL case.
We want soldiers to die, but when it comes to save his buddies, we blame him and put the case against him because he tied stone-pelter to a jeep.
The list is endless.
Don’t make a mockery of lives and kill soldiers.
Don’t use emotions for the selfish business of earning brownie points.
Indian Army and CRPF know what to do and when to do. They had , and they will keep doing justice to the situation with appropriate action.
You do not have to tell us what to do, pls. But after all, they all have the right to free speech. And who cares… soldier is easily dispensable.
Jai hind
https://www.facebook.com/MajDPSingh/posts/10157342534420934