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Who is trying to disconnect Kashmir from the world? Why attack cellular towers?
By Gowhar Geelani
A view of telecom towers installed over the buildings is pictured in Srinagar, June 3. PHOTO: REUTERS
The unusual series of attacks on cellular towers in different parts of Indian-administered Kashmir Valley has already resulted in the killings of two civilians. And furthermore, the way these attacks have been taking place is also very dubious in my opinion.
Many appear clueless about the perpetrators, despite claims made by Lashkar-e-Islam, a lesser-known outfit that had purportedly circulated threat-posters to cellular companies, their employees, and local owners who usually rent out space for installing towers in their compounds, in North Kashmir.
These attacks allegedly carried out by Lashkar-e-Islam, which seem to have categorically asked the mobile operators, vendors, and their employees to shut their businesses in the region, led to the deaths of Ghulam Hassan Dar in Sopore, and Imtiyaz Ahmad in Pattan. One of them had rented out space to a cellular company by allowing the installation of a tower in his compound.
The way these attacks are being orchestrated is what is bothersome for me.
During the early 1990s, the Kashmir Valley was gripped by an unusual panic; the invisible dae’n (witch). It was believed that a mysteriously undetectable “witch”, called dae’n (dayan) in the native tongue, would attack individuals inside their homes during the evening. Therefore, the entire localities would formulate their counter-strategies and collectively assemble either outside their houses or near the local mosques with firelights (mashals) to scare the invisible dae’n amidst pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
No one seems to know the complete truth about the ‘witch era’ until today.
Now in 2015, during the age of internet revolution and information technology, Kashmir is yet again witnessing an unusual and unexpected trouble, in the form of the cellular tower attacks in North Kashmir and the summer capital, Srinagar. My concern is, why just cellular towers? What is the purpose of attacking just communication lines? Is there is a greater plan at play?
On June 1st, a grenade was lobbed on a cellular tower in old Srinagar, injuring one civilian. Prior to this, mysterious attacks of such nature were carried out in North Kashmir’s Pattan, Sopore and Handwara towns. The apparent aim seems to be to create panic and present Kashmir as an unsafe place for trade, travel, and tourism and perhaps also to push the beautiful valley back to the dark ages by halting its economic progress, which to a large extent is dependent upon mobile phone connectivity and internet facilities.
While parts of the valley have come back on the grid and connectivity has been restored to some parts of North Kashmir, the question remains: who is the real culprit?
And who could be the ultimate beneficiary?
This new ‘tower terrorism’ began when threatening posters began circulating in North Kashmir purportedly by a group called Lashkar-e-Islam, dictating cellular companies to immediately wind up their businesses and shut down operations in Kashmir. This, in itself, seems utterly peculiar. What could the group want by cordoning Kashmiris off and severing connections with the rest of the world?
No one seems to have a clue about what this new organisation is up to. Is this a real organisation or an ‘unseen’ phenomenon, like the ‘dae’n’ during the 1990s?
After these attacks on the cellular towers, the chief minister of Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, called a high-level meeting to “review the overall security situation”. Taking strong note of the disruption of cellular networks in various parts of the valley, Sayeed observed that,
“People cannot be pushed into the Stone Age as modern-day functioning in the government, banking, tourism, education, and other vital sectors, in particular, old-age pension and e-transfer of insurance claims and compensation to flood-affected victims are totally dependent on internet connectivity”.
He also said that cellular networks have become the lifeline in this area as these services are availed by all sections of the society, according to a government press release. But Jammu and Kashmir’s former chief minister, Omar Abdullah, launched a scathing attack on Mufti Saeed on Twitter,
“Has Mufti Syed said anything to reassure the people connected with the cell phone industry in Kashmir? A single statement? Probably won’t!!”
By Gowhar Geelani
A view of telecom towers installed over the buildings is pictured in Srinagar, June 3. PHOTO: REUTERS
The unusual series of attacks on cellular towers in different parts of Indian-administered Kashmir Valley has already resulted in the killings of two civilians. And furthermore, the way these attacks have been taking place is also very dubious in my opinion.
Many appear clueless about the perpetrators, despite claims made by Lashkar-e-Islam, a lesser-known outfit that had purportedly circulated threat-posters to cellular companies, their employees, and local owners who usually rent out space for installing towers in their compounds, in North Kashmir.
These attacks allegedly carried out by Lashkar-e-Islam, which seem to have categorically asked the mobile operators, vendors, and their employees to shut their businesses in the region, led to the deaths of Ghulam Hassan Dar in Sopore, and Imtiyaz Ahmad in Pattan. One of them had rented out space to a cellular company by allowing the installation of a tower in his compound.
The way these attacks are being orchestrated is what is bothersome for me.
During the early 1990s, the Kashmir Valley was gripped by an unusual panic; the invisible dae’n (witch). It was believed that a mysteriously undetectable “witch”, called dae’n (dayan) in the native tongue, would attack individuals inside their homes during the evening. Therefore, the entire localities would formulate their counter-strategies and collectively assemble either outside their houses or near the local mosques with firelights (mashals) to scare the invisible dae’n amidst pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
No one seems to know the complete truth about the ‘witch era’ until today.
Now in 2015, during the age of internet revolution and information technology, Kashmir is yet again witnessing an unusual and unexpected trouble, in the form of the cellular tower attacks in North Kashmir and the summer capital, Srinagar. My concern is, why just cellular towers? What is the purpose of attacking just communication lines? Is there is a greater plan at play?
On June 1st, a grenade was lobbed on a cellular tower in old Srinagar, injuring one civilian. Prior to this, mysterious attacks of such nature were carried out in North Kashmir’s Pattan, Sopore and Handwara towns. The apparent aim seems to be to create panic and present Kashmir as an unsafe place for trade, travel, and tourism and perhaps also to push the beautiful valley back to the dark ages by halting its economic progress, which to a large extent is dependent upon mobile phone connectivity and internet facilities.
While parts of the valley have come back on the grid and connectivity has been restored to some parts of North Kashmir, the question remains: who is the real culprit?
And who could be the ultimate beneficiary?
This new ‘tower terrorism’ began when threatening posters began circulating in North Kashmir purportedly by a group called Lashkar-e-Islam, dictating cellular companies to immediately wind up their businesses and shut down operations in Kashmir. This, in itself, seems utterly peculiar. What could the group want by cordoning Kashmiris off and severing connections with the rest of the world?
No one seems to have a clue about what this new organisation is up to. Is this a real organisation or an ‘unseen’ phenomenon, like the ‘dae’n’ during the 1990s?
After these attacks on the cellular towers, the chief minister of Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, called a high-level meeting to “review the overall security situation”. Taking strong note of the disruption of cellular networks in various parts of the valley, Sayeed observed that,
“People cannot be pushed into the Stone Age as modern-day functioning in the government, banking, tourism, education, and other vital sectors, in particular, old-age pension and e-transfer of insurance claims and compensation to flood-affected victims are totally dependent on internet connectivity”.
He also said that cellular networks have become the lifeline in this area as these services are availed by all sections of the society, according to a government press release. But Jammu and Kashmir’s former chief minister, Omar Abdullah, launched a scathing attack on Mufti Saeed on Twitter,
“Has Mufti Syed said anything to reassure the people connected with the cell phone industry in Kashmir? A single statement? Probably won’t!!”
