In the 14th episode of REASON hosted by The New Indian Editor-in-Chief Aarti Tikoo, Lieutenant General Devendra Pratap Pandey shares insights on an array of issues surrounding Kashmir including insurgency, cross-border terrorism, relations with Pakistan and its propaganda, and the Indian Army’s civilian outreach programmes initiated during his stint in Srinagar.
Kashmiris are as nationalist as any other Indian living in any other part of the country, he says.
He says that the Kashmiri people are emotionally manipulative and can be driven towards the negative propaganda spread by Pakistani extremists. He says that social media plays key role in shaping the narrative among Kashmiri youth.
Speaking about a wind of change in the Valley, Pandey says, “People have found their voice and they now when they come out, they come out to speak against even terrorist attacks and that is what is changing.”