Poonch terror attack
THE deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, targeting Army personnel, has dealt a blow to any prospect of a thaw in India-Pakistan ties, which are already in deep freeze. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s imprint is visible in what appears to be a planned ambush. It has cast a shadow on the visit of Pakistan’s foreign minister for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Goa next month. The dastardly attack came just hours after Islamabad’s announcement that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would be leading a delegation to India, the first by any Pakistan foreign minister after 2011. It would also be the first high-level visit by a Pakistani official since Nawaz Sharif’s trip in 2014 for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi. Ironically, the same day, Pakistan’s defence ministry, in a report submitted to the country’s top court, cited the threat of an all-out war with India as one of the major security-related hurdles which prevented the government from holding provincial elections.
In January, the Army Chief admitted that while the counter-insurgency grid in the Kashmir valley was strong, there had been instances of infiltration attempts in areas south of the Pir Panjal range. The killing of five soldiers in the Rajouri sector is a devastating loss. The change in tactics by terror groups denotes a mounting challenge for the security establishment. The first task is to hunt down the perpetrators. Fresh guidelines on troop movement, combing operations and deployment of counter-terror measures are imminent. The attack took place near the site of a 2021 encounter that lasted several weeks. Despite an intense search, the terrorists managed to flee.
Cross-border support to terrorism and terror infrastructure continues to be an all-pervasive threat. After the killing of civilians at a Rajouri village in January, the Poonch attack is a reminder that the scourge of terror needs robust surveillance and counter-measures, round the clock. As Srinagar gets ready to host a working group meeting of G20 tourism delegates in the last week of May, it will be a big challenge to thwart any attempt to derail the event.
