From The Editor / The Legitimate Youth
Nearly a month later, in Srinagar city, three more militants were gunned down by security forces last Sunday. Prior to this encounter in May in the same downtown area two militants including a top commander of Hizbul Mujahidin Junaid Sehrai was killed in an encounter with security forces.
On Sunday, the police chief of Kashmir Vijay Kumar addressed a press conference and said that they have so far killed 106 militants in the proceeding year and most of them have been eliminated in just the last two months after counter-insurgency operations were intensified.
Barring few operations in North Kashmir and central Kashmir, the majority of these anti-militancy operations have been carried out in the South Kashmir region which is seen as a hub of militancy. It is not being speculated if we say hundreds of youths from the south region of the valley have joined militant ranks over the past decade though, in the last several years, various tough measures have helped security forces in taking control over the area.
The police along with other security forces groups are now mulling to shift their concentration to North Kashmir at the beginning of next month and act against all active militants present there. With over 100 militants killing owing to a policy shift in anti-militancy operations, there are no more funerals seen since all the slain are shifted to designated graveyards in North Kashmir’s Baramulla and Kupwara district.
Also, what previously was being done to glorify the militants with rankings by security agencies is no more done. The absence of public funerals of slain militants might have also reduced the radical influence among the youth. The police in case it identifies the militants trapped during an encounter manages to get his family members to the confrontation site and convince him to surrender, however, so far all such attempts seem to have fallen short.
The militancy in Kashmir is not over, though presently the numbers might be lowest in the last several years. Even recently despite the successful counter-insurgency operations, the Director-General police Dilbagh Singh said that they wish no more youth in Kashmir pick up arms. But once anyone joins the militant ranks, the forces are supposed to do whatever is necessary. He urged the parents in Kashmir to ensure that they can keep track of their children and motivate them for a bright future instead of losing lives while joining militancy.
The shelf life of militants is being reduced substantially and most of the militants who died in last over 40 encounters are lesser-known in the public domain though security forces also killed some most senior militant commanders like JunaidSherai, Reyaz Naikoo, and Haider. Given to actions on the ground by the security forces, it seems such measures can ensure a temporary calm in the valley but not a lasting peace. Even if we leave the political problem aside, still the youth of Kashmir is confronted with multiple challenges and has seriously affected his mental health. So to ensure the lasting peace in the region there is a need for a comprehensive socio-political package through which the youths can be engaged besides the beginning of the political process with fresh hopes and positivity.
