CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF USE OF HUMAN SHIELD IN INDIA: A PERSPECTIVE FROM PAKISTAN

Abstract

In April 2017, the Indian Army used one of its citizens from Kashmir valley as a
human shield. Although the use of human shields as a practice has prevailed in warfare, and
many actors in international politics have been accused of this in the past, however, most of
these cases involved weaker side using the human shield to ward off any aggression from a
relatively powerful and technologically advanced enemy. The images of the Indian Army’s use
of the human shield in Kashmir went viral and started a discourse questioning the existence
of this practice, afresh. The Indian Army strongly denied any ‘wrong doing’, and rewarded the
officer responsible for the act, with a Commendation Certificate. Many high officials in India,
quoting ‘Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act’, advocated immunity for the officer, who used
fellow citizen as a human shield. This paper through Critical Discourse Analysis, using
multiple extracts from media reports, and legal documents, explicates the use of the human
shield to coerce Kashmiris and exert excessive power against them. It also highlights serious
resistance inside India towards enactment of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.