Vijay Hashia
The resurgence of killings over the past one and a half months in the Valley and in Srinagar has witnessed a spike. In the month of October alone, eleven civilians were killed. At least seven civilians lost their lives in just a week. Of 13 people killed in the months of Oct and first fortnight of Nov 2021, eight were in Srinagar. During the year 2021, more than 30 civilians including political workers have been targeted by terrorists. The killings are intended to terrorize the masses and to attract the media and the public attention.
The new breed of hybrid regressive radicalized may be at the next door, dressed in camouflage carrying pistols, who are not listed as ultras but OGWs to shoot, flee and slip into routine life, has put a new challenge for the security forces.
The recent incidents of terrorism related killings, fatalities among civilians, security forces and terrorists who died in Oct 2021 are the highest since 2012. In 2019, Pulwama peaked in terror activities. Between 2000 to 2005, fatalities were concentrated in Baramulla and Kupwara and in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts of Jammu. Between 2006 and 2016, fatalities were largely restricted to Baramulla and Kupwara. However, there is an abrupt upsurge in the recent killings.
In contrast, counter strategy deterrent of security forces has eliminated 138 terrorists, 55 have been arrested in Jammu and Kashmir this year. Security forces have also rounded off 700 over ground workers in the Kashmir region this year. The security forces have further beefed up vigil by deployment of additional forces, 3000 and 2500 of CRPF and BSF recently.
The challenge for Government is to protect not only the minority but the majority community also who are vulnerable to such attacks. In addition, the attacks against soft targets have though not disrupted daily life, it has spread fear psychosis among the people.
To grasp the nettle, the Government must put adequate security measures in order to prevent, protect, mitigate, investigate, bring them to book and recover damages against killing of soft targets. Immediate response is crucial in mitigating the impact and in this regard political leaders from all parties, communities and civil societies from all hues can play a key role. It is vital that locals cooperate in order to identify these over ground hybrids to prevent such attacks from reoccurring. Effective protection of vulnerable targets requires not only the implementation of physical protection measures but also the development of strong and resilient communities, their close engagement with civil societies and local leadership including religious leaders.
The Government must also accelerate restoring political rights through elections after delimitation process is completed on priority. Elections are imperative to blunt terror’s new turn of killings.
The little problems should not bother the security forces so long they keep on mounting pressure. In the past, security and intelligence agencies have done a commendable job. Terror outfit leadership and lower rank operatives have been eliminated. Stone pelting, Hurriyat and hawala money to finance all kinds of dangerous enterprises are no longer in existence. Border sneaking has also been effectively controlled. Pak proxies seem to have lost their foothold. As the winter has set in, the pressure has already mounted on Pak terror sponsors. The top terror leadership has been eliminated. It seems the local terrorists are no longer in hold of heavy ammunition which they used in camouflaged attacks on security forces from dwellings of populace. The hybrid killings are sequel to chocking of ammunition supplies from across the border. Terrorists eliminated by the security forces are no longer eulogized. Their dead bodies are buried without large congregations. The pressure certainly is high on Pak proxies as the spate of recent killings is out of sheer frustration to build Pak narrative and to subvert industrial, medical and educational economic development which is already set afloat.
The votaries of inept, inefficient gargantuan bureaucracy, protracted policy inertia, lackluster leadership is no longer prevalent in the UT, as invoking of Article 311(2) of the constitution recently by the Government, has enabled sacking of number of its employees over their terror links.
To completely eradicate terrorism and ongoing hybrid war of OGWs, the Government has to further strengthen the security forces empowering them to strategically and tactically tackle this menace forever. The covert Pak war is not against a particular community but Kashmiris, be he a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or a Christian. Let each Kashmiri join hands together in this struggle of war against Pakistan as it had been done in 1947 to liberate from the infiltrators. Let each leader of the political party share responsibility as a representative of the vox populi. Will then the civvy streets and decency return back to normalcy in Kashmir.
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