- The Indian nation can never feel free from terrorist-related killings in the troubled region of Jammu and Kashmir unless concerted efforts at bringing the locals into the mainstream gather full steam. We all know how the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35(A) was met with stiff opposition from the local political leaders and citizens. To its credit, the Union Government has initiated several measures to revert to normalcy including the delimitation exercise leading to the democratic process of carrying out elections in due course of time. However, the targeted killings of innocent civilians by the anti-democratic and terrorist elements are posing a grave challenge to the administration.
PC: AC Team 2
- Specifically, the successive incidents of killings of Kashmiri pandits alongside Kashmiri Muslims, non-Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims, and individual security personnel are disconcertingly on the rise. One such disturbing incident was witnessed recently even as a special NIA court in Delhi handed concurrent life terms to JKLF chief Yasin Malik for funding terror in J&K. It is extremely sad to see a budding Kashmiri TV artist Amreena Bhat being shot dead outside her home in Budgam district. This comes close on the heels of an off-duty constable Saifullah Qadri being shot dead in front of his home in Srinagar. These are the latest in a spate of targeted killings in Kashmir that began around October last year.
- These killings point out a concerted attempt to sow fear, disrupt everyday life, and challenge the efforts of the administration at attaining normalcy since the nullification of Article 370 in August 2019. Remember, targeted killings by their very nature are extremely difficult to prevent. Security personnel has no way of knowing who the militants will target next. In contrast, any big-ticket terror operations can be tracked through effective intelligence gathering. In fact, over the last two years, the joint security mechanism in J&K has been quite successful in neutralizing cross-border terrorists. But targeted killings use hit-and-run tactics and can be carried out by local agents who may not be on the radar of security forces.
PC: Web Desk
- Further, it could be the tactics of militants to bait the security forces into an overreaction and create conditions akin to the height of the Punjab militancy or the Naxal movement in Bengal. Understandably, a similar situation in Kashmir today will represent a severe setback, something terrorists and their cross-border handlers will be delighted with. To their credit, security forces have shown remarkable restraint so far. Some of the countermeasures like stopping local recruitment for subversive activities should be prioritized. Also, strengthening J&K civil society to shrink the space available to extremist elements should be diligently pursued. This can happen only if the democratic process is fully restored in the region. Since the delimitation has been notified, J&K assembly polls should be held at the earliest. Mind you, the number of stakeholders for peace in the region can increase only if the legislative-executive structure is rebuilt.
