Lt Gen. Satish Dua’s tryst with Kashmir has spanned nearly four decades (from 1980 to 2018), during which, he has observed the changing social, political, security and religious landscape of the region.

In A General Reminisces, he reflects upon this time, his interactions with bureaucrats and experiences about the atmosphere at the Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. He mulls the change, the way it has taken over the citizens and the army stationed there—at the same time, he pens his thoughts about how militancy sprung up in the Valley in 1990s and how the Indian Army evolved to respond to it. A counter-terrorism force called Rashtriya Rifles was created to counter the rising threat. Then there was a bold response of creation of Ikhwan, a rehabilitation programme that allowed young Kashmiri men to convert from militancy and work with the Indian Army. This eventually led to a bolder experiment of raising the Territorial Army battalion, comprising of surrendered terrorists.

In these events, Lt Gen. Dua weaves in the context to tell a story of a terrorist-turned-soldier, Nazir Wani, who ended up becoming the very beacon of change that Lt Gen. Dua has witnessed and hopes for.

Nazir, the son of a farmer, was born at a time when teenagers of Kashmir heard strident voices, fiery speeches, and more than occasional gunfire. Nazir strayed on the wrong side as a teenager, starting with running errands for terrorist groups to more. Fortunately for him, Ikhwan was started just then. He joined the programme and proved himself as a cool and confident operative in the field. As an Ikhwan and later as a soldier of Territorial Army (TA) Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI), Nazir earned his spurs in several operations. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra for his ultimate sacrifice in a daring operation.

An inspiring tale of Nazir’ s operations and valour, this book also goes to the man behind the hero and shows the humble aspirations of a father.