Targeted violence against non-locals threatens security and disrupts developmental activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi: Just days after Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16, the region’s situation reflects growing unease within the Pakistani establishment, as the UT witnesses a spate of targeted killings with the biggest one on October 20 when terrorists stormed a tunnel construction site, shooting six migrant workers and a Kashmiri doctor.
On October 15, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad for the SCO summit. During this historic visit, he was spotted shaking hands with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and engaging in conversation with his counterpart. The last-minute change in seating arrangements, placing both ministers next to each other, garnered significant media attention in both, India and Pakistan. Despite the romanticisation and the renewal of relations, even if it is in the domain of cricket, it seems that the Pakistani deep state hasn’t been able to digest the fact that the people of Jammu Kashmir have chosen peace and democracy. Consequently, Pakistan continues to support terror proxies that perpetuate violence in the region.
Security concerns rise after attacks on non-locals
Two soldiers and two porters were killed after heavily armed terrorists ambushed an army vehicle in Bota Pathri area, near a famous ski-resort in Gulmarg, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Thursday. In a similar incident, a non-local worker, Pritam Singh was injured after being fired at by suspected terrorists in south Kashmir’s Pulwama.The attacks on non-local workers follows the attack at the Gagangeer tunnel construction site in Ganderbal district, where terrorists killed seven people, including six labourers (non-local) and a doctor from the Budgam district. The increasing attacks on non-locals pose a significant security challenge in Kashmir, heightening concerns about the safety of migrant workers in the region. This is the third such attack since October 16, when Ashok Kumar, a labourer from Bihar, was shot dead in Shopian. The rise in these targeted attacks, since the National Conference-Congress government took charge, has increased pressure on the administration and has created a lot of panic amongst the non-locals and the security establishment. A top source in the defence apparatus said that this spate of targeted killings is a reminder that Pakistan hasn’t been able to digest the fact that Kashmiris have chosen democracy and peace. On the timing of these incidents, the source said, “It has just been a few days since the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister to Pakistan and the formation of a new government in Jammu and Kashmir after a decade. These attacks aim to send a message that normalcy is absent in the region, instilling fear among non-locals—primarily from UP, Bihar, Punjab, and West Bengal—who work in construction, agriculture, and tourism, ultimately seeking to disrupt developmental activities.” The attacks on non-locals and minority communities witnessed a spike, particularly after the Union government scrapped the special constitutional provision of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. The Resistance Front, which is an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba has been claiming the responsibility for these attacks. “Whether it is TRF or the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), they are just the wings of Lashkar or Jaish. They announce such new names just to give it a local touch. It’s just like old wine in a new bottle and nothing else. Without support from Pakistan, local militancy has significantly declined since 2016, following Burhan Wani’s death, leaving little leadership within these groups. It’s mostly the Pak based terrorists who have been unleashing violence and killing non-locals as they are not just soft targets but because killing them would give them much media glare”, another source said. These spate of attacks and that too after the formation of a new government after a decade, Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan, hosting of Legends League Cricket (LLC) which drew an unprecedented crowd, and the first-ever international marathon in the valley points out that despite all the indications of ‘normalcy’ in the region, the terror outfits continue to abate violence and portray cracks in the security apparatus.
A top security officer who has an extensive experience in dealing with such terror outfits in the Kashmir valley said on the condition of anonymity that such attacks cannot happen without the aid of locals and these Over ground workers (OGW) are a huge threat to the security apparatus.