Syed Ata Hasnain needs to be part of Modi's dream team
Every great ruler in Indian history had his chosen few on whose expertise and intelligence he relied for performing in niche areas. The rulers identified them on the basis of a carefully-nurtured network of feedback, gave them full freedom not only to advice but also to express dissent for better results. Akbar had his Navratnas (nine jewels) which included experts like Todarmal whose revenue collection system is lauded till this day, and an unparalleled singer like Tanzen. The great Vijaynagar emperor Krishnadeva Raya has his Ashtdiggas or Eight Giants. The Sena dynasty ruler of Bengal Lakshman Sena had Panchratnas (five jewels). Chattrapati Shivaji had his Asht Pradhan Mandal, which was however slightly different in character than others. It had restricted freedom but Shivaji as a counter-balance had great feedback system which allowed him to take correct decisions and implement them. In a short career, Shivaji got just three years (from 1667 to 1670) to set up his civil administration, but till this day it is taken as model of good governance.
Despite giving the cleanest government to India in many years and taking many hard and dynamic decisions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is yet to show inclination whether he would have such a team of visionary experts having full freedom to advise and express dissent when they disagree. Rather, there are indications that the talent pool available to him is lying under-utilised, perhaps due to a feedback system that isn't perfect or due to the impression that in his set-up there is less freedom for expression of dissent.
One example of under-utilisation of high-level talent is Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, who, many say, should have been the governor of Kashmir under the Modi dispensation or handling some important assignment to do with national security. An outstanding officer, Gen Hasnain had, as General Officer Commanding in Jammu and Kashmir in 2010-2011, set an excellent example of right use of soft power with hard power. His approach had weakened the militants and created an atmosphere of hope in the valley which saw the tourist traffic increase to the highest level in many years. The rise in production of apple and its supply from the Valley to various parts of the country increased to such a level that it prompted a Kashmiri to ask Hasnain: "Are you a General or an agriculturist?"
Hasnain conceived and operationalised what is called the "Hearts Doctrine" which aimed at people as the centre of gravity in Kashmir. His unique and innovative approach later got defined as "Playing Friend Not God". It got appreciation as a new management mantra across domains in and outside the military. After taking charge of the Valley he changed the approach of 80 per cent use of soft power to win over the people in place of 90 per cent hard power, which he thought, was necessary during the dark days of 1989. The use of soft power involved army penetrating the villages and helping the people in various tasks to create a bridge with them even while remaining alert to the fact that the soft approach wasn't misused by militants and the hardliners.
Hasnain's speech at an Ahmedabad meet recently on the "Power of Soft Power" impressed the participants no end raising the question as to why such a talented and foresighted hand was not being utilised by the Modi dispensation. Hasnain spoke on methodical and timely use of soft power with pin-pointed examples to prove how soft power and hard power are perfectly complementary to each other when used with precision and timing.
Hasnain described Modi's invite to French President Hollande soon after the Paris attacks as a most intelligent and classic example of the use of soft power.
Hasnain said with a thinking prime minister like Modi in the saddle India was in one of the best situations ever when it came to unleashing its soft power.
The former Army officer, known for his candour, gave the audience a feel of his extensive vision when he mooted two great ideas: 1. India should have a National Perception Management Board for unleashing soft power; and 2. The country should have a comprehensive national policy for using hard and soft power in tandem.
Hasnain further said what India needed was implementers "because implementers translate vision into action". "We don't have enough implementers", he lamented. Hasnain gave yet another example of his innovative thinking when he revealed how he told his army colleagues to take in their stride the film Haider which had hurt their sensibilities because of negative portrayal of Army in it. As he put it: "I told the Army needed to use Hard Power during the peak of militancy and that's what had been shown in Haider".
But more than Hasnain's talent, India and Modi needs powerful Muslim role models to inspire the future generations of Muslims, which is so necessary in a period of communal conflict. Hasnain comes from a most patriotic and progressive Muslim family. His father was a major general in the army and his brother is a retired IAS officer. Significantly, unlike some Muslim bureaucrats and functionaries he didn't veer towards a pro-Muslim thinking even after episodes like Babri demolition and 2002 Gujarat riots which were mindlessly exploited by a section of the media to create a wrong impression that Muslims hadn't got their due in Independent India, thus showing seeds of separatist thoughts in the minds of even moderate Muslims.
The prime minister showed great vision early this year when he created a role model in the form of the former Central Intelligence Bureau chief Asif Ibrahim by making him his international envoy on terrorism. Despite being a UPA government appointee Ibrahim had opposed certain "political actions" of that regime when these hurt the interests of Central Intelligence Bureau. Clearly, Hasnain needs to be part of the Modi dream team.