Syed Ata Hasnain writes: With life sentence in Amshipora court-martial, Army’s commitment to rule of law stands reinforced

Indian Army’s record is guided by imperative of fairness to the people in the proxy conflict zone and also to its own soldiers. Respecting this fine balance requires leadership skills

In the many years that this writer dealt with terrorism in Kashmir, each command assignment began with a letter to my subordinate commanders. It stated that sustained deployment in operations and the dominant position occupied by the uniformed forces gave some soldiers (in rare cases) the temptation to go “beyond the brief”. If it was a risk taken for the sake of furthering the interests of the organisation, I would conditionally weigh my decision if I learnt of it. However, with any group of uniformed people that indulged in an indiscreet act that was for their personal gain (money or recognition), I would come down with a tonne of bricks – initiate disciplinary action.