Peace in Kashmir

Peace has been the contested word in Kashmir. It has meant different things to different people at different times. Kashmir watchers and security analysts who have been keeping a keen eye on Kashmir right from the eruption of insurgency in 1989-1990 have defined it in various ways. It has been defined in terms of terror attacks that have engulfed the valley from time to time. And their impact on the normal lives of the people in general. The objective of the terror modules that have been operating in Jammu and Kashmir is to create fear psychosis and bring the day to day life to halt. Every time there is an occurrence of a terror attack or a targeted killing in Kashmir it takes time to decode its message by the security analysts. No doubt there has been a considerable improvement in the strike rate of the terrorists in Kashmir over the years but the decrease in the frequency of attacks does not mean that the terrorism has been neutralised completely. It can be witnessed from the recent encounters that have taken place between the terrorists and the security forces. These attacks are meant to send the signal that the patrons of terror in Kashmir have not withdrawn. They seek an opportunity to strike and the strategy has definitely changed. Instead of random attacks they focus on convergence of their energies and strike to create maximum impact with less number of strikes. It is pertinent to mention that when the decision for the Lok Sabha Elections was taken. There was a comprehensive stress on maintaining a vigil and strengthening the intelligence gathering to make the security grid formidable. It did have an impact and the situation on ground in Kashmir remained by and large peaceful restricting the terrorists from striking with impunity. But the patrons of terror across the borders in Pakistan with the help of their sleeper cells shifted the theatre of war to the Pir Panjal and encircled the Poonch and Rajouri sector. Thus taking the Jammu region into its fold. Reasi attack killing innocent people makes it clear that the terrorists have changed their modus operandi in terms of making their presence felt. If the security grid is tightened in Kashmir then they shift to Jammu region to make their presence felt and the vice versa holds also true. It needs to be understood that patrons of terror in Jammu and Kashmir having their bases across the border have declared a war against the state of India. They take Jammu and Kashmir as one unit to devise their terror strategy to bring the Northern Frontier of India in the Himalayas into standstill. So that the goal of balkanising India is realised. The policy makers must resist from making knee jerk statements to appease their respective constituencies and focus on the broader objective to address the root cause of enemy’s nefarious designs. What has been happening in Jammu and Kashmir for more than three decades is not a mere proxy war or just an act of terror or law and order problem but a full-fledged war in which battle hardened combatants are involved who are highly weaponized and indoctrinated. That is why numerous innocent lives have been lost, including the security forces and the innocent civilians. Besides, it has led to the religious cleansing and internal displacement of the minorities. These realities on ground zero must bring home the point that what is going on in Jammu and Kashmir is not a mere issue of occasional acts of terror. When Jammu and Kashmir is taken as a whole it reveals that terrorism has not been completely decimated as terrorists strike with impunity and lead to bloodshed. One place is terror free and another having traces of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir does not make sense. When it comes to terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir has to be made completely terror free. Definition of relative terror free zones will not solve the purpose. Moreover tourism is not a barometer of peace in Kashmir when things are analysed comprehensively from 1990 till date. There is a need to re-strategize at the security level to defeat terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. So that peace is permanently restored for overall development.