Ghazala Wahab

At one of the institutes in Delhi which runs a media familiarisation programme for serving military personnel in the rank of colonels and brigadiers, I was accosted by a colonel during the tea break. He told me that he has been reading my articles. Presuming this to be praise, I thanked him. A bit too soon though, because his next sentence put me in my place. “You always write against the army,” he said. “You write about human rights violations by the army, but you never write about human rights violations by the terrorists.”

Since he seemed quite rattled, I thought it was better to let him vent his fury instead of offering an explanation. But he demanded one. “No, you tell me why you don’t write about human rights violations by the terrorists?” he said in a voice which was no longer conversational.

I resorted to wit. “You have said it yourself,” I said jovially. “Because they are terrorists, and you are soldiers. We do not hold them to the same moral, ethical standards as soldiers. You guys are honourable, un