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On 12 October, 2012, Union Home Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde surprised everyone including the ever nervous security apparatus of the state of Jammu & Kashmir by making a surprise appearance at the city centre of Lal Chowk in Srinagar. He spent 15 minutes there, taking a leisurely look at its historic Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower) as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strolled alongside. There was just a feeble security detail and the Union Home Minister appeared at ease, buying fruits, talking to common people.
Clearly, Shinde wanted to send out a message. His predecessor P Chidambaram had visited this volatile city one evening in July 2011 but didnt so much as venture out of his car. So Shindes was a highly symbolic visit. And in traditional Kashmiri politics, symbolism matters in the Valley even more than reality.
Shindes message was that there was a return of normalcy to the Valley. That if a Union home minister can be safe on the streets of Kashmir then why should the common man fear. Whats more, all this happened in Lal Chowk where separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had once dared any pro Indian politician to stand without their security cover in tow.
The relative peace of those days has continued until very recently. Militancy has, by and large, waned even if a political resolution of the crisis at the centre of militancy has taken backstage. The Centre was even confident enough of its achievements in the Kashmir Valley to give the go-ahead for the hanging of Kashmiri convict Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case, without paying much attention to the possible fallout. Following the hanging, Kashmir was put under curfew for days.
On Tuesday, the Home Minster once again arrived in Kashmir, but he wasnt making a point about the return of normalcy this time. He instead had to pay a visit to the Samba district, where 12 people including three terrorists died in a terrorist attack on 26 September. Shinde also visited forward posts along the international border his agenda was to boost morale of forces reporting to his ministry, following a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.
Even as the state prepared for Shindes visit, heavy shelling was reported at Indian positions in the Poonch sector. The fresh firing from the Pakistani side started at 12:20 pm in Bhimber Gali of Poonch, after which the Indian Army retaliated. Firing was also reported in Hamirpur.
Late Monday night, Pakistani troops also used 82-mm mortars and other heavy weaponry to target Indian positions in the Nikkowal and Abdullian areas of RS Pura sector.
Government and security officials in J&K admit quietly that the spurt is a worrying one. On the night of 18 October, Pakistani rangers opened fire at more then 18 places along the International Border (IB), in Jammu and in Samba. The firing that began at 7:30 pm and continued through the night left two Border Security Force personnel injured and one infiltrator killed. Simultaneously, through the night, the Army and the BSF foiled multiple infiltration bids.
This was, security officials say, another attempt by the Pakistani rangers to push militants across the International Border, a trend that has been witnessed this year along the 460-mile Line of Control earlier.
The Pakistani rangers, if sources in Intelligences agencies are to be believed, provide cover fire to infiltrating militants and help them enter the state. This has borne fruit for the militants in Kashmir, but has until now failed in Jammu, mostly.
Obviously, the worry stems from the fact that those who managed to sneak across, both in Kashmir and in Jammu, have been behind some of the deadliest militant attacks in recent years.
So, what has changed since the Home Minster visited last year?
There is no doubt that incidents of violence have risen. Kashmir is seeing a renewed phase of armed insurgency that is still sparse but deadly, even catching agencies off guard.
On 23 March this year, one civilian was killed and a policeman injured when militants attacked a security patrol in north Kashmirs busy Sopore. It was the fourth militant attack in the month of March itself. The attack was unique, carried out in a busy market so that security forces couldnt retaliate. And, taking advantage of the huge rush, the militants managed to escape. This is the new pattern emerging in the Valley. In fact, militants carried out 11 attacks in February and March this year.
Before the Sopore market attack, on March 2, two policemen were shot dead in north Kashmirs Handwara area. In the same month, an audacious militant attack killed five CRPF jawans in Srinagars Bemina area. Both the militants were also killed in the attack. On 21 March, one BSF jawan was killed on the outskirts of Srinagar. This was an attack on the peace of Kashmir, the Inspector General of Police A G Mir had said.
On 26 April, a group of militants attacked a police party and killed four police personnel near a hotel in the Hygam area near Sopore. The militants fired bullets towards the police personnel and such was the impact that the police personnel sustained serious injuries and died on spot.
Late in May, five army men were killed in a gunfight between militants and forces in Buchoo village of Tral town. Militants had ambushed the army men who were headed there following a tip-off about some militants there.
Then came the most deadly attack of Hyderpora, carried out by two militants in broad daylight, captured on a mobile phone, leaving eight troopers killed and 16 injured. The attack took place on 24 June when militants attacked an army convoy on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Two militants carried out the attack and then fled from the spot through the Barzulla area on motorbike, some 2 kilometres from Hyderpora.
This was followed by the attack in Samba in September, in which twelve people including three terrorists were killed.
The police in Jammu and Kashmir says that there are only a few militants present in Kashmir today. But the normal hotspots of militancy have changed. It is now not area confined, and the strategy of militants has changed, as the Ahmad Nagar encounter testifies. This hide-and-seek game has been going on since October 3 when militants lobbed grenades and opened fire on the Special Operation Group of the Jammu & Kashmir police, when they were intending to search the Ahmad Nagar locality after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and his associates there.
The firing lasted all night and the militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Eight policemen including one officer were injured. This hit-and-run strategy adopted by the militants in the Valley has meant repeated searches and lockdowns in areas such as Ahmad Nagar.
Sopore, a traditional hub of militancy in Kashmir, has five militants, according to police sources. Now its Shopian in South Kashmir that is a hot zone. Lolaba in North Kashmir too has witnessed a rise in militant activities and combing operations. Tral has emerged as a major militant bastion. Ganderbal, where Abu Huraira (marked an A++ category militant, a Pakistani national) has been active since many years. Huraira is one of the most wanted militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Kashmir valley.
Security agencies believe that the dozens of ceasefire violations that have occurred this year have been aimed at pushing more militants into the Valley.
A senior Army official posted in Srinagar told Firstpost that the militants infrastructure in *** has not completely vanished, and that they are apprehensive that after the withdrawal of the American-led NATO troops from Afghanistan, the security situation in Kashmir could get worse.
Pushing more militants into the Valley by giving them cover firing is actually part of that process. There are hundreds of militants presently waiting to cross over. They are waiting at the different launching pads across the Line of Control, the Army official said
This winter is going to be a tough one in Jammu and Kashmir for the security forces militants who live in the jungles during the summer return to the plains in winter.
Although the police in Kashmir valley has been able to control the situation, the recent developments certainly hint at security agencies being caught by surprise. No one seems to have a very clear idea of what is happening or aplan on how to tackle it.
Director General of Police Ashok Prasad told Firstpost recently on the sidelines of a police event that incidents of violence have gone down. The violent incidents may have gone down in cities but along the borders, Kashmir is witnessing a surge in acts of violence.
So, when he meets senior officials in Jammu, there is one thing that the Home Minster would like to stress on. And that is to make sure that every infiltration attempt made under the cover of firing from across the border be stopped.
That could prove to be the next game changer in the state.
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/a...ad-for-jk-1186783.html?utm_source=ref_article
Clearly, Shinde wanted to send out a message. His predecessor P Chidambaram had visited this volatile city one evening in July 2011 but didnt so much as venture out of his car. So Shindes was a highly symbolic visit. And in traditional Kashmiri politics, symbolism matters in the Valley even more than reality.
Shindes message was that there was a return of normalcy to the Valley. That if a Union home minister can be safe on the streets of Kashmir then why should the common man fear. Whats more, all this happened in Lal Chowk where separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had once dared any pro Indian politician to stand without their security cover in tow.
The relative peace of those days has continued until very recently. Militancy has, by and large, waned even if a political resolution of the crisis at the centre of militancy has taken backstage. The Centre was even confident enough of its achievements in the Kashmir Valley to give the go-ahead for the hanging of Kashmiri convict Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case, without paying much attention to the possible fallout. Following the hanging, Kashmir was put under curfew for days.
On Tuesday, the Home Minster once again arrived in Kashmir, but he wasnt making a point about the return of normalcy this time. He instead had to pay a visit to the Samba district, where 12 people including three terrorists died in a terrorist attack on 26 September. Shinde also visited forward posts along the international border his agenda was to boost morale of forces reporting to his ministry, following a spurt in ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.
Even as the state prepared for Shindes visit, heavy shelling was reported at Indian positions in the Poonch sector. The fresh firing from the Pakistani side started at 12:20 pm in Bhimber Gali of Poonch, after which the Indian Army retaliated. Firing was also reported in Hamirpur.
Late Monday night, Pakistani troops also used 82-mm mortars and other heavy weaponry to target Indian positions in the Nikkowal and Abdullian areas of RS Pura sector.
Government and security officials in J&K admit quietly that the spurt is a worrying one. On the night of 18 October, Pakistani rangers opened fire at more then 18 places along the International Border (IB), in Jammu and in Samba. The firing that began at 7:30 pm and continued through the night left two Border Security Force personnel injured and one infiltrator killed. Simultaneously, through the night, the Army and the BSF foiled multiple infiltration bids.
This was, security officials say, another attempt by the Pakistani rangers to push militants across the International Border, a trend that has been witnessed this year along the 460-mile Line of Control earlier.
The Pakistani rangers, if sources in Intelligences agencies are to be believed, provide cover fire to infiltrating militants and help them enter the state. This has borne fruit for the militants in Kashmir, but has until now failed in Jammu, mostly.
Obviously, the worry stems from the fact that those who managed to sneak across, both in Kashmir and in Jammu, have been behind some of the deadliest militant attacks in recent years.
So, what has changed since the Home Minster visited last year?
There is no doubt that incidents of violence have risen. Kashmir is seeing a renewed phase of armed insurgency that is still sparse but deadly, even catching agencies off guard.
On 23 March this year, one civilian was killed and a policeman injured when militants attacked a security patrol in north Kashmirs busy Sopore. It was the fourth militant attack in the month of March itself. The attack was unique, carried out in a busy market so that security forces couldnt retaliate. And, taking advantage of the huge rush, the militants managed to escape. This is the new pattern emerging in the Valley. In fact, militants carried out 11 attacks in February and March this year.
Before the Sopore market attack, on March 2, two policemen were shot dead in north Kashmirs Handwara area. In the same month, an audacious militant attack killed five CRPF jawans in Srinagars Bemina area. Both the militants were also killed in the attack. On 21 March, one BSF jawan was killed on the outskirts of Srinagar. This was an attack on the peace of Kashmir, the Inspector General of Police A G Mir had said.
On 26 April, a group of militants attacked a police party and killed four police personnel near a hotel in the Hygam area near Sopore. The militants fired bullets towards the police personnel and such was the impact that the police personnel sustained serious injuries and died on spot.
Late in May, five army men were killed in a gunfight between militants and forces in Buchoo village of Tral town. Militants had ambushed the army men who were headed there following a tip-off about some militants there.
Then came the most deadly attack of Hyderpora, carried out by two militants in broad daylight, captured on a mobile phone, leaving eight troopers killed and 16 injured. The attack took place on 24 June when militants attacked an army convoy on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Two militants carried out the attack and then fled from the spot through the Barzulla area on motorbike, some 2 kilometres from Hyderpora.
This was followed by the attack in Samba in September, in which twelve people including three terrorists were killed.
The police in Jammu and Kashmir says that there are only a few militants present in Kashmir today. But the normal hotspots of militancy have changed. It is now not area confined, and the strategy of militants has changed, as the Ahmad Nagar encounter testifies. This hide-and-seek game has been going on since October 3 when militants lobbed grenades and opened fire on the Special Operation Group of the Jammu & Kashmir police, when they were intending to search the Ahmad Nagar locality after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander and his associates there.
The firing lasted all night and the militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Eight policemen including one officer were injured. This hit-and-run strategy adopted by the militants in the Valley has meant repeated searches and lockdowns in areas such as Ahmad Nagar.
Sopore, a traditional hub of militancy in Kashmir, has five militants, according to police sources. Now its Shopian in South Kashmir that is a hot zone. Lolaba in North Kashmir too has witnessed a rise in militant activities and combing operations. Tral has emerged as a major militant bastion. Ganderbal, where Abu Huraira (marked an A++ category militant, a Pakistani national) has been active since many years. Huraira is one of the most wanted militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Kashmir valley.
Security agencies believe that the dozens of ceasefire violations that have occurred this year have been aimed at pushing more militants into the Valley.
A senior Army official posted in Srinagar told Firstpost that the militants infrastructure in *** has not completely vanished, and that they are apprehensive that after the withdrawal of the American-led NATO troops from Afghanistan, the security situation in Kashmir could get worse.
Pushing more militants into the Valley by giving them cover firing is actually part of that process. There are hundreds of militants presently waiting to cross over. They are waiting at the different launching pads across the Line of Control, the Army official said
This winter is going to be a tough one in Jammu and Kashmir for the security forces militants who live in the jungles during the summer return to the plains in winter.
Although the police in Kashmir valley has been able to control the situation, the recent developments certainly hint at security agencies being caught by surprise. No one seems to have a very clear idea of what is happening or aplan on how to tackle it.
Director General of Police Ashok Prasad told Firstpost recently on the sidelines of a police event that incidents of violence have gone down. The violent incidents may have gone down in cities but along the borders, Kashmir is witnessing a surge in acts of violence.
So, when he meets senior officials in Jammu, there is one thing that the Home Minster would like to stress on. And that is to make sure that every infiltration attempt made under the cover of firing from across the border be stopped.
That could prove to be the next game changer in the state.
Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/a...ad-for-jk-1186783.html?utm_source=ref_article
