M A I N   N E W S

Terrified, people ‘buy’ peace with ultras
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 4
“Raat ko Pakistan, aur din ko Hindustan” (It’s Pakistan in the night and India during the day). This was the comment of a senior security officer in Kashmir on the fortification of bases by militants, especially foreign mercenaries, in the Lolab valley, Rajwarh and upper reaches of Kupwara district.

He said the situation in the hilly areas of Anantnag district and parts of Pulwama was the same and expressed anxiety over the concentration of militants in Kokernag and Daksum belts in South Kashmir.

Eyewitness accounts said any militant build-ups in the upper reaches of Kokernag and Daksum would pose a danger to the entire Doda district, especially Kishtwar subdivision.

Reports said of late, the movement of militants in Srinagar city and other towns in the state had declined, the reason being that between November 28 and February 20 rebels had carved out hideouts in these areas and dumped arms and ammunition for use at will.

However, villages in various parts of the state continue to register an unprecedented rebel movement. These militants are said to have taken full advantage of the ceasefire and strengthened their bases and hideouts.

As a result of the sudden swell in the ranks of militants and on account of non-initiation of combat operations against the rebels, the troubled state witnessed as many as 103 incidents of violence in which 27 civilians and 32 security personnel were killed between February 20 and March 3.

The police suffered the maximum casualty, losing 24 personnel, including the 14 killed in one incident in Rajouri on Friday. The Army lost eight personnel, including a Colonel and two JCOs. Four Army men were killed in a ‘Fidayeen’ attack on the headquarters of the Jammu Kashmir Light Infantry at Baramula this morning.

Though 30 militants were killed during this period, the rebels have been encouraged by non-initiation of combat operations against them, allowing them a chance to fortify their bases and extend the areas of their activities.

As a result of the ceasefire, the security forces deployed in different areas monitoring the situation and for carrying out patrolling are said to have been restricted in their task. At many places people have complained that some areas looked after by the security agencies have preferred to “buy peace” with the militant, especially where people have a feeling that militants have carved out mini-Islamic zones or a mini Pakistan.

The security forces have been advised to avoid carrying out night patrolling. Hence, the writ of the militants runs in these areas, including parts of Lolab, Handwar, Rajwarh, upper reaches of Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch.

Prior to the announcement of the ceasefire, local support to foreign mercenaries had dwindled. Not many parents were prepared to allow their boys to join militancy. People had a feeling that with the security forces on the prowl, the situation might gradually improve. Hence, they showed guts and resisted sending their boys to training camps, including those being run across the LoC. They even dared to refuse food and shelter.

The situation has changed. People now feel insecure. A number of civilians, including women, were killed in a barbaric fashion in Rajouri, Poonch, Budgam, Baramula and Anantnag recently. Ears of four civilians have been chopped off in the Rajouri-Poonch belt.

This “forcible” cooperation has allowed rebels to recruit more local youths. And when the ceasefire was announced people had hopes that talks would begin between the government and other agencies, including the APHC, leading to restoration of peace, if not settlement of the Kashmir issue.

A political leader who is also a prominent intellectual, remarked. “The ceasefire has allowed India to score a political and diplomatic victory over Pakistan. But it may create a situation in which Kashmir can be lost to India if suitable and corrective steps are not taken to check the activities of militants.”