Err, even that is wrong. Not all Srinagar hates the Army. Not all Poonch loves the Army. You get what I am saying. Some people here talk on the lines of 'all Kashmiris are traitors'. Something a normal jawan might agree with because he doesn't care why there is so much hatred. He just thinks that everyone is a potential attacker. A simplistic view but also one that tells that the goals of army there are not percolating to the men on ground. The army, by many accounts, postured as a tough force in the past, with all-out use of force sometimes. The idea is similar to intimidation that medieval armies used(Set an example by harsh punishment to avoid more challenge to authority). Some units might have gone rogue or simply took forward this philosophy, but what they did(rapes in some cases) alienated even the remaining population which was neutral or sympathizing with India. Believe me, there are still some secular-minded people left in the valley. You can find some refreshing columns in Kashmiri English newspapers online once-in-a-while. You can see that the IA did not take such incidents seriously just by looking at the number of personnel held responsible so far.
And... what happened to the Pandits does not justify the overlooking IA did, knowingly or by negligence.
The media has been pro-news and also quite forward looking in their approach. They also sold only what sells. And for an average patriotic Indian, IA in the white sells. And the Pakistani terrorist story sells. Very few reports were verified or covered all views(in the absence of verification). And the few incidents which stand as reasons for the general hatred for IA came out after some sustained and brave reporting by a very small number of journalists. And rarely a major media outlet gave a Kashmiri viewpoint in passing. I am not saying media conspired against the Kashmiris. It was an act of omission and taking the easy way out.
