Vijay Singh Bali
After more than a decade, the Jammu region is once again witnessing terrorist attacks, ranging from assaults on Hindu devotees in Reasi to targeting Village Defense Guards (VDGs) across the Jammu division. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, there have been more than 30 terror attacks in the Jammu division since 2021. There is a narrative among some individuals with vested interests that these attacks are a ploy by the government to avoid assembly elections. This claim is vague and completely baseless. The real question is: why has there been a revival of terrorism in the Jammu region, and why are security forces struggling to counter it?
While the border along the Kashmir Valley is well-managed and has seen normalcy after the abrogation of Article 370, the Jammu region has historically been neglected by the Government. This neglect has made it vulnerable to terrorist exploitation, leading to the recent spate of attacks.
Another significant issue is the lack of counter-ambush tactics and coordination among security forces. The Kastigarh encounter at a high school, where an ambushed army unit received no backup for hours, highlights this problem. The intervention of the VDGs was crucial in opening another front, which deterred the terrorists until backup arrived.
Additionally, terrorists in Jammu division employ guerrilla tactics and modern weapons. Unlike the traditional long engagements and fidayeen attacks seen in Kashmir, terrorists in Jammu prefer hit-and-run tactics. The majority of attacks on forces resulted from ambushes rather than traditional encounters. These tactics, coupled with the use of high-tech weapons like M4 carbine assault rifles, night vision equipment, and encrypted satellite phones, complicate the security forces’ response. The forces in Jammu are not as accustomed to terrorist attacks as the Rashtriya Rifles are in Kashmir, leading to shell shock and reduced ability to counter ambushes effectively as observed in Kathua where 5soldiers got martyred.
The region’s rough terrain and poor road connectivity further hinder timely operations, allowing terrorists ample time to escape. Since 2008, the government’s lack of focus on Jammu has led to inadequate road infrastructure and insufficient local intelligence gathering and this problem got highlighted in the hilly areas of Doda . Terrorists are reviving old routes used in the 2000s, spanning from the international borders to Kathua, Basantgarh, and the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban (DKR) region.
The withdrawal of “uniformed forces”(around 15000) of the Rashtryia Refiles(RR)from Jammu to the eastern Ladakh border created a security vacuum, making it challenging for local police and the army to act effectively against terrorists especially in far flung areas .. However, the government has now deployed more than 3,000 special forces along with commandos of the Central Armed Police Forces.
Additionally, there is also a broader picture that these attacks are part of a strategy by Pakistan and China. As India faces a “two and a half front” war, significant resources are deployed to counter China on various borders after the Galwan clashes. There is concern that China aims to divert India’s focus to a proxy war in Jammu, creating a “half front” war. If the situation escalates, India could face a major two and a half front war with both Pakistan and China. Therefore, a tactical approach is needed to address this menace, rather than decreasing the deployment of forces along the borders.
The resurgence of terror attacks have instilled fear among the Hindus in the DKR region. If the current hostile situation continues, there is a risk of another genocide similar to what the Kashmiri Pandits experienced. This could lead to a mass migration of Hindus to the lower areas of the Jammu division, reminiscent of the displacement that occurred in the DKR region during the 2000s . It underscores the urgent need for effective security measures and government intervention to prevent further escalation and protect the vulnerable populations in these areas.
These attacks are not the result of random planning by terrorists targeting the Jammu region; they have been in the works for the past three years with the support of the Pakistan Army. According to sources, these terrorists have fought alongside the Taliban in defeating the USA, and the Pakistan Army has been continuously training them in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir(POJK).
The Government needs to recognize that the Pakistan Army is not just a regular army of a nation. This is evident from their motto (Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah), which translates to “Faith, Piety, Struggle in the Path of Allah.” This motto underscores their close ties with Islamic terrorists and their aim of advancing the concept of Ghazwa-e-Hind.Pakistan is a country whose sole aim is to do Jihaad against India in all the forms . The Government of India needs to understand how a deep state operates with a radical ideology and take appropriate measures to counter this threat.
The Government needs to strengthen local intelligence gathering, crucial for tackling terrorism. The reduction in terror attacks in Kashmir was largely due to strong intelligence gathering by Special Police Officers (SPOs). Another step the Government needs to take is to strengthen the Village Defence Guards, who have not received their pay from more than 1.5 years
Additionaly, we need to develop more thermo censor technology use of drones to find out the hide outs in the forests and mountains which will reduce the the causalities of our soldiers. Therefore, we need to develop a holistic and comprehensive strategy to counter this threat .
(The author is PG student of Department of Strategic and Regional Studies (DSRS), JU)
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