J&K terror attacks: A method in madness

Subhasish Mitra (Wide Angle)

The terrorist attacks at four places in a span of as many days in the Jammu region of J&K soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for the third time on June 9, reflect a method in madness. The incidents have brought back bad memories.

 

It’s no coincidence these attacks came at a time when a new govt was taking office in New Delhi. The terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan, perhaps, want to send out a clear message: they can disrupt peace in J&K at any given time and that nullification of Article 370 hasn’t mitigated the strategic objectives of the Pakistani deep state.

 

The militants struck at four places in Reasi, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir within four days, claiming the lives of more than a dozen people, including a CRPF jawan. The bloody encounters sent ripples of fear through the region which is fast becoming a hotbed of cross-border terrorism in the restive Union Territory.

 

The terror incidents, particularly the attack on a bus ferrying pilgrims, galvanised the entire security establishment in Delhi into action. Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself reviewed the security situation in the Union Territory at a high-level meeting attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha, top officials of the Army, CRPF and others.

 

Noting that the fight against terrorism in J&K is in its decisive phase, Shah said the recent incidents show that terrorism has been forced to shrink from highly organised acts of violence to a mere proxy war. He directed security agencies to implement area domination and zero-terror plans in the Jammu division like they did in Kashmir to achieve success. The home minister also reviewed the preparations for the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas from June 29 till August 19.

 

Shah asserted that the government is determined to root out terrorism and directed the security agencies to work on a mission mode and ensure quick response in a coordinated manner. He also stressed on seamless coordination among security agencies, identifying vulnerable spots and addressing security concerns in these areas.

 

The high-level meeting came close on the heels of a similar one held by the prime minister, where officials were told to deploy the "full spectrum of counter-terror capabilities".

 

On June 9, terrorists opened fire on a 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra from the Shiv Khori temple. The bus, ferrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire, killing nine people and injuring 41 others. On June 11, terrorists fired at a joint checkpost of the Rashtriya Rifles and police at Chattergalla in Bhaderwah while a search party in the Gandoh area of Doda district was attacked on June 12, resulting in injuries to seven security personnel, including a policeman.

 

It’s clear that terrorists are experimenting different tactics to try and outsmart security forces. In 2022, targeted killings were their modus operandi. However, since last year, terrorists have reverted to conventional manoeuvres, especially south of the Pir Panjal – an area that has seen relative calm for almost two decades. This will force security forces to once again reorient their strategies.

 

It appears that the terrorists are desperate to undermine the normalisation process and the “naya Kashmir” narrative. This is precisely why the Reasi ambush of a bus carrying pilgrims is worrying. Around 2.11 crore tourists visited J&K last year, giving a much-needed boost to local tourism.

 

The terrorists want to disrupt these stakeholders in peace. Moreover, the successful conduct of Lok Sabha elections in J&K – the first since nullification of A370 – hasn’t gone unnoticed across the border. Terrorist handlers now want to subvert J&K assembly polls, slated to be held by September-end. Under no circumstances should tge Centre and the EC yield. Rather, they must hold the polls on time and also tighten the security dragnet in the region.