Terrorism in Kashmir
India
saw the horror of terrorism once again when the face of a newly married lady
sitting desolate next to the body of her husband, shot dead in Kashmir, because
he could not recite the Kalma, filled the TV screens. 22 people died there.
Operation Sindoor was the reply, the retribution India had promised in revenge.
The killing was not the first and might not be the last. The revenge was not
the first and might not be the last. It was a new, horrific chapter with roots
from the past and tentacles into the future. Let us delve into the past and
crystal-gaze and attempt to understand a picture with ever-evolving pixels.
Background
Pakistan-sponsored
terrorism visibly infected Kashmir first in 1987. How can anyone conclusively
accuse Pakistan of complicity in terrorist violence in Kashmir? India has
presented proof on multiple occasions to establish the complicity of the state
of Pakistan in terror activities inside India. It has been of no use since no
amount of effort can awaken one who is pretending to sleep. However, Pakistan
itself has on many occasions made it publicly clear that it supports,
finances, and provides logistics for terrorism in Kashmir.
Since
1987, Kashmir has swayed between flare-ups and Army intervention-induced lows,
the lull, giving time and opportunity to terrorists to regroup and replan. The
local population, always part of it, were victims, collateral damage,
not-so-silent spectators, and facilitators. Successive governments focused on
‘Winning the Hearts and Minds’ (WHAM) of the local population through
Operation- Sadbhavana, building infrastructure, schools, and providing means to
earn steady incomes. When the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), promising stronger
measures to curb terrorism, rode to
power at the Centre, with Mr Narendra Modi being sworn in as the PM on 29 May
2014, India looked forward to finding an end to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K).
Political
Process
Elections
to the Legislative Assembly of J& K were conducted in five phases, from 25
November 2014 to 20 December 2014. The election, marked by high-decibel
emotions, saw 65.23% voter turnout. The results declared on 23 December 2014
did not allow any party to form the government independently. Protracted
political negotiations between various parties continued until the People's
Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP, two fierce political rivals, formed an
unexpected coalition government to rule the state based on a Common Minimum
Programme (CMP). On 01 March 2015, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of the PDP became the
CM for the coalition. However, he passed away on 07 January 2016. After a brief
spell of President’s rule, Ms Mehbooba Mufti, daughter of late Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed, took over as the CM on 04 Apr 2016 and continued till the BJP withdrew
its support on 19 Jun 2018.
In the
meantime, Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, had
started finding supporters in the Kashmir Valley. They recruited a social
media-savvy young local lad named Burhan Wani. He exploited the power of social
media, appearing without any hood or mask, and publicly called on the Kashmiri
youth to rise against the Indian state. A neighbourhood lad for many, he became
the new identifiable and relatable face of homegrown terrorism. Wani helped his
handlers across the border find more local unemployed and disillusioned lads
willing to be recruited, radicalised and used for terrorist activities in
Kashmir. Kashmir now witnessed a new face of insurgency.
The
locals, in open defiance of law and seemingly unafraid of consequences,
uncovered their faces while throwing stones at the army convoys and patrols.
They even actively participated in facilitating the escape of terrorists
trapped in the cordons established by the Army.
Fresh
Wave of Attacks
Belying
expectations, terrorist attacks started getting more audacious. On 5 December 2014, militants attacked an
army camp in J&K, killing 11 security personnel. On 20 March 2015, two LeT
militants attacked the Rajbagh police station in Kathua, Jammu. India accused
Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism; however, showing restraint,
India did not initiate any direct military action against Pakistan in either
incident. On 30-31 December 2015, a group of 6 JeM terrorists from
Pakistan entered India, hijacked a Police officer's SUV, and reached Pathankot.
On 2 January 2016, they attacked the air base at Pathankot. All of them were
neutralised in due course. India, asking Pakistan for action against the
perpetrators, shared dossiers of the attackers and demanded action from
Pakistan. Unhappy with the response, India suspended peace talks with Pakistan
till they took visible measures to contain terrorism. The Prime Minister
promised a strong response, and the Home Minister assured the country of a
befitting reply to the terrorists. However, India demonstrated restraint, and
no military action was taken against Pakistan. Terrorism is a persistent
ailment, but terrorists, however smart they might be, cannot persist for long.
They have a short shelf life. Burhan Wani met his bullets on the 8th July 2016,
in an encounter with Indian security forces in Kokernag of Anantnag. The Valley
saw violent protests.
Crime
and Punishment
On 18
September 2016, four heavily armed terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked
an Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri, killing 19 soldiers. India accused
Pakistan of supporting the terrorist organisation, boycotted the SAARC meeting,
and retaliated with pre-emptive military strikes across the line of control in
Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir on the intervening night of September
28-29, inflicting death on more than 150 terrorists. Even though it was widely
believed that India had undertaken cross-border actions before, this was the
first time that the Government of India publicly declared military action
against Pakistan across the LoC. The Indian establishment believed that the
publicised military action, widely known as the “Surgical Strike”,
across the LoC would deter Pakistan from further sponsoring terrorism in India.
The action satisfied the Indian public and bolstered the strong image of the
Prime Minister, Mr Modi, who had vowed an appropriate response to the Uri
attack. It also set a new benchmark for India's response to terrorist attacks
on its soil. Pakistani soil, however, continued to nurture and promote
cross-border terrorism relentlessly.
On 03
October 2016, terrorists attacked a Border Security Force camp in Baramulla,
killing one BSF Soldier. On 29 November 2016, terrorists mounted an attack on
an Army base in Nagrota, killing seven soldiers. India did not take any
military action across the border but intensified the counterinsurgency
operations within Jammu and Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of fostering
terrorism. Pakistan steadfastly refused its involvement in terrorist activities
and stonewalled investigations into terrorist incidents in India, attributing
those to non-state actors and calling themselves victims of terror. On 10 July
2017, militants attacked the Amarnath pilgrims, killing seven. Worse was yet to
come.
On 14
February 2019, Adil Ahamed, a Local Kashmiri youth and a Jaish-e-Mohammed
operative, drove a Mahindra Scorpio SUV loaded with approximately 350 kg of
explosives that included RDX and other high-grade explosives into a bus that
was part of a CRPF convoy, killing 40 CRPF personnel. It was the deadliest terrorist
attack since terrorism raised its head in Kashmir. The Government of India had
no option but to respond. Having set the benchmark in the Uri incident with the
Surgical Strike, the response had to be more severe and more visible than
before.
On the
26th February 2019, the Indian Air Force swung into action with what India
called a non-military pre-emptive Strike, targeting terrorist facilities
and taking care to avoid civilian and military assets. The attack resulted in
the killing of 300 to 350 terrorists, mostly recruits being prepared for
fidayeen attacks, their trainers and even senior terrorist commanders. Pakistan,
however, denied having suffered any such losses. The Government of India, in
one of the boldest political moves in Kashmir, revoked Article 370 through a
Presidential order on 05 August 2019 and followed it with the passage of the
Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 in the Indian Parliament, effectively
trifurcating J&K. India revoked the most favoured Nation status of
Pakistan, imposed a 200% custom duty on Pakistani goods, and suspended cross
LOC trade and bus services.
Experts
felt that India had finally established a credible deterrence against its
persistent adversary, Pakistan and was seen to be willing to use it without
remorse or hesitation. The red lines for India had been redrawn, and the
threshold for retaliation redefined. It is widely believed that the incidents
of terror have come down ever since. The Government declared that normalcy had
finally been restored in Kashmir. While facts and figures provided by the
Government may be contested, the fact that the tourism industry picked up and
gained momentum in Kashmir remains unequivocal and uncontested, even by the
government's harshest critics. The thriving tourism industry provided assured
income to locals and largely weaned the youth away from becoming terror fodder.
Peace seemed to have finally descended on Kashmir.
(To be continued in Part 2)
