Security establishment believes higher number of militant killings in Kashmir indicates an improving situation, but experts say circle of violence is worrying.
New Delhi: Kashmir had its bloodiest week this year with at least 21 killed, a majority of them militants. But security experts said the rising violence in the state could only be addressed through talks and political engagement and not military muscle alone.
The overall number of killings so far this year — including civilians, security forces personnel, policemen and militants — has almost tripled from 117 in 2012 to over 304.
In multiple encounters since 18 November, 17 militants were killed by the security forces, while two security personnel and two civilians were also killed. However, there is also a new trend of militants targeting civilians.
The security establishment believes that the higher number of militant killings indicates an improving situation, but experts say the circle of violence is fuelling the militancy, and that’s a worrying trend.
A succession of encounters
Sunday night witnessed an encounter at Batagund in Shopian district, in which seven militants, one civilian and one Army personnel were killed. The police said the militants were a mixed group from the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
On 23 November, six militants affiliated with the LeT were killed in an overnight encounter at Waghma Sutkipora of Bijbehara, Anantnag.
Three days earlier, militants shot dead one person in Achabal, Anantnag. The same day, four Hizbul militants and one Army jawan were killed in an encounter in Nadigam, Shopian.
On 18 November, two militants were killed in Zainapora, Shopian.
Civilian killings
A couple of weeks ago, a day before the first phase of the panchayat polls, Hizbul Mujahideen released a chilling video — the first of its kind — showing militants killing a youth they believed was an Army informer.
The video, which went viral, showed militants pumping several rounds of bullets into Nadeem Manzoor of Pulwama. The killing has been widely condemned and the video has been called ‘ISIS-style’ on social media. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah called it “cold blooded murder”.
Another teenager was killed brutally on polling day. Militants had abducted three civilians in the morning and one of them, identified as Huzaif, a baker, had his throat slit.
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‘Situation improving’
Dilbagh Singh, director general of the J&K Police, said the security forces were gaining an upper hand — in the last 36 hours, 13 militants were killed.
“Militants who kill others have been killed in the encounters. Isn’t this an improvement of situation?” Singh asked ThePrint.
“According to us, the ground situation is improving. We have killed militants who have been involved in one crime or another. These have been the most successful operations for the security forces.”
‘Killing not an answer’
Security experts, however, said engagement with people and not mere killing of militants would solve the Kashmir issue.
Calling the ground situation “worrisome”, former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General D.S. Hooda (retd) said steps needed to be taken to address radicalisation and tackle growing alienation.
“I think there needs to be a little bit of engagement. We seem to have adopted purely a security approach. Merely saying ‘we are killing a number of militants’ is not the answer,” Hooda told ThePrint.
“Violence and killings have increased. Infiltration hasn’t stopped, despite all the encounters happening on the Line of Control. Local recruitment is up. The overall situation in Kashmir is worrisome.”
Referring to civilian killings, Hooda added: “Now there is a new trend… The militants have started targeting civilians also. The ground situation is not good and I don’t see any short-term solutions to it.”
Hooda said the Kashmir crisis was showing a different trend from the past years, and as a result, people were pouring out on to the streets to protest.
A case in point is 19-month-old baby Hiba, injured in Sunday’s encounter in Shopian. Hiba was hit in the right eye by a pellet, damaging her cornea, and needed surgery. The pictures of her bruised eye went viral on social media, drawing widespread condemnation.
“Baby hiba with pellet wounds in her eye!How it hurts to see her like this Pray for her speedy recovery ! The price that even our babies are paying as the conflict continues,” tweeted Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference.
Hooda said: “If you look at the last few years’ data, there were more foreign militants getting killed than locals. The trend seems to have reversed slightly now, because we are seeing more local recruitment. For the killing of the locals, you will find greater disturbance.
“We should not look at things in the short-term. You will have periods where there will be more encounters, but as far as the overall situation is concerned, it’s not looking good right now.”
Political intervention
A.S. Dulat, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), said the way forward in Kashmir was politically, not militarily. Dulat and Hooda both batted for a political intervention and a dialogue with the people of the Valley.
“The government seems to deal with (the situation in Kashmir) only by using force. The only narrative in Kashmir today is violence. The ground situation looks out of control,” Dulat said.
“Surely, somebody has to find a better narrative. That narrative can come out of dialogue, by talking to people. Forward movement in Kashmir will only happen politically, not militarily. It’s high time we started talking to people.”
Former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik paid a surprise visit to the top separatist leaders of Jammu and Kashmir last Friday, and Dulat said there was no harm in him being an interlocutor.
“The Norwegian prime minister is talking to separatists. Why can’t we? Why is Delhi not meeting? What sense does it make?” he asked.
Hooda agreed the state needed a holistic approach.
“Political intervention and counter-radicalisation programmes can tackle alienation and the divide which seems to be growing between the Jammu and Kashmir regions. A more holistic approach is needed,” Hooda said.
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Fresh elections
The state went into political upheaval last week when Governor Satya Pal Malik dissolved the assembly after two sets of parties — PDP-Congress-National Conference and People’s Conference-BJP — staked claim to form the government.
Asked if the worsening situation in the state was due to the state being under Governor’s Rule, Dulat said a political government would not have made much difference at this time. But he believed that elections were needed.
“I don’t think a political government would have made much difference at this time. In fact, the general feeling was that the situation had improved under Governor’s Rule. Obviously, you don’t want Governor’s rule indefinitely. The earlier the elections are held, the better for Kashmir,” Dulat said.
Calling the stone pelting obstructionists, protesters & arsonists, civilians is very obnoxious. This is not their natural birth right, which has been violated. WHAT ONE SOWS, SO DOES ONE REAP.
Personally I had felt happy when a politician, not a retired general or spook, was appointed Governor. The expectation was that some sort of informal dialogue would start with all stakeholders. It has not turned out like that at all. The Pakistan – Kashmir policy is not working, at high human cost. One feels very, very deeply for the pain and suffering of the gentle Kashmiri people, blessed by Allah to occupy one of the most beautiful spots on the planet, placed between two tectonic plates that are grinding remorselessly into each other.