The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has rightly come to the conclusion that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act cannot be diluted or done away with at the moment in Jammu & Kashmir, where the semantics of terror tactics are changing, though the basic Jihadi terrorism and the proxy war against India supported by Pakistan is on with a new impetus of rioting mobs and Muslim Intifada.

Secessionist and Separatists with their supporters are running amuck, the constant and often orchestrated attacks on Security Forces are just another systematic element in this strategy, where the ultimate aim is to consign national sovereignty to the bin and hit at the very basics of India as a cultural civilisation and a nation.

The anti-national stance of the secessionist elements is gaining in rhetoric by the day. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on a private television channel on 15 September 2010 that “Jammu & Kashmir is not an integral part of India.” This came minutes after Hurriyat’s (a conglomerate of separatist parties) Syed Ali Shah Gilani called upon and instigated the people (read Muslims) of Kashmir to march towards Army and Security Forces camps on 21 September 2010 as another step in his Quit Kashmir Movement. This was soon after the all-party meeting called by the Prime Minister ended in New Delhi, and this open challenge to the Nation could have serious repercussions on the security front unless due precautions are taken.    

[The Quit Kashmir Movement was launched by Gilani in June 2010, as part of the Muslim Intifada unleashed in the Valley. The call itself goes back to 2008, when the agitation over the Amarnath Yatra land for pilgrim facilities drove the Muslim leadership of the Valley literally incandescent].

On Saturday last (11 Sept.), Mirwaiz Farooq had asked people to march to Lal Chowk from Idgah after the Eid prayers. This culminated in more rioting, violence, burning down of Government and security buildings, and the waving of Pakistani flags, as his Azadi cacophony continued in Srinagar, leading to a situation which can be best described as instigating and waging war against the State.

The street Intifada which is more or less organised has attacked security personnel in the line of duty and counter-terror operations, including the Army along with paramilitary forces and JK Police. This is far from coincidental, for the actual agenda remains to hit at the umbilical cord of Jammu & Kashmir with terrorism and subversion.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on 2 March 2010 said, “Militants are grouping in the Sopore area and Kulgam District. These areas are a challenge for us on the militancy front. We are taking extra measures to deal with the militants there.” Following this, Home Minister P Chidambaram observed that the anti-national elements are clearly linked to the Lashkar-e-Toiba which is active in Sopore area.

Interestingly, according to intelligence sources, a confidential report emanating from Jammu & Kashmir blamed the resurgence of militancy in Sopore on troop relocation or troop cut.   Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had then admitted to troop cut in the area. Although the number of Security Forces moved is not available, it has become evident in the light of the above that it has facilitated militant and terrorist regrouping and contributed significantly to the deterioration of the situation.

On the other hand, the latest strategy of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and LeT is to combine renewed infiltration attempts by heavily-armed militants with escalating street violence, to ensure that Kashmir remains in a state of chaos and mob anarchy.

Infiltration trends, along with ceasefire violations at the LoC, are also going hand in hand, whereas the terror factory in Pakistan is intact and operational; the threats loom large in terms of security and peace. In such a scenario, any cuts in the number of Security Forces or their anti terror mechanism or their powers – long being pushed by an uncomprehending peace lobby, both domestic and international – coupled with aggressive Pakistani diplomacy, will have an adverse impact on the security scenario in the State.

The truth of the Muslim Intifada in the Valley of Kashmir, spreading to other areas of the State, has given a flip to the dimensions of terrorism in the State of Jammu & Kashmir, which is now in the grip of mob rioting and agitational terrorism, apart from the terrorist strategies of guerilla warfare.

The nation is already paying a heavy price for the mistakes made in the past by the political establishment under overt and covert pressure, which has resulted in the de facto creation of only-Muslim representation in the State, whereas the terms of reference should have been all three regions including Jammu and Ladakh, with the representative character and voice of Dogras, Buddhists, Gujjars, Pahadis, Kashmiri Hindus including Pandits, Sikhs, Christians and all other linguistic and religious minorities.

Let no mistake be made Mr Prime Minister in terms of Jammu & Kashmir and the morale of the Security Forces in particular, lest the national paradigm is lost and the weight of the shadow eclipses the sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and even the Nation State that is India.

-        Better be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident security - Edmund Burke

The author is convener, Daughters of Vitasta