Editorial: No respite from terror

A series of terrorist attacks, targeting migrant workers, Kashmiri Pandits and paramilitary forces, comes as a grim reminder of the audacity with which the Pakistan-sponsored militant outfits have been carrying out their macabre agenda in Jammu & Kashmir. The killing spree exposes the myth about normalcy returning to the Valley following the NDA government’s decision […]

A series of terrorist attacks, targeting migrant workers, Kashmiri Pandits and paramilitary forces, comes as a grim reminder of the audacity with which the Pakistan-sponsored militant outfits have been carrying out their macabre agenda in Jammu & Kashmir. The killing spree exposes the myth about normalcy returning to the Valley following the NDA government’s decision to scrap the special status. Peace continues to remain elusive with non-local workers being targeted by gunmen. The latest attack on migrant labourers was the fourth in a fortnight — all of them in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district — and was apparently meant to create a fear psychosis. The spurt in terror strikes brings back gory memories of last year when the killings of several migrant workers in the Valley triggered panic. Migrant workers have always been vulnerable targets for gunmen looking to strike terror in the hearts of the civilian population. Militant groups have been using the youth to carry out grenade attacks in populated places, reflecting the growing frustration among them and their handlers across the border. In December last, the Centre told Parliament that between August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated, and November 22, 2021, nearly 500 terror-related incidents were reported from J&K. In October last year, the State-turned-Union Territory witnessed a spate of targeted killings of civilians, including local residents and migrant workers. The incidents prompted the security forces to step up operations to eliminate terrorists. According to data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal, every year around 40 civilians have died in J&K in the past three years.

It appears that the nefarious elements, created and nurtured by Pakistan, are bent upon creating trouble and vitiating the political atmosphere ahead of the Assembly elections being planned later this year. The resumption of the long-delayed democratic process could serve as an effective antidote to the rise of militancy in the Valley. The challenges before the NDA government are manifold. First, there is a need to curb infiltrators and deprive them of local support by initiating confidence-building measures and strengthening the grassroots level democracy. At the same time, the government should never let an opportunity go on international platforms to expose Islamabad’s devious agenda. On one hand, scrapping Article 370 has alienated the mainstream political parties with their leaders being detained under tough laws and the Centre failing to take follow-up action, while, on the other hand, the changing geopolitical dynamics in the neighbourhood has made the security situation in the trouble-torn Valley more vulnerable. The anti-India terrorist outfits, created and nurtured by the Pakistani Deep State, were emboldened by the turn of events in Afghanistan. The fears that militancy in Kashmir will grow, following the release of several prisoners belonging to terror groups from Afghan jails, are now coming true.

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