Asem Mohiuddin
With no let up in the Kashmir situation, there seems no sincere efforts to seek an end to the ongoing bloodshed. The security forces reveal that as many as 250 militants have been killed in 2018, the highest in last one decade of Kashmir insurgency. In fact the beginning of 2019 shows more dangerous trend with 16 militants being killed in just last 10 days of counter insurgency operations.
While it has been proven that counter insurgency operations have only succeeded in eliminating the militants but failed to stop the youth from joining militancy, the olive branch what Kashmir situation demand is absolutely missing. The insincere approach of the political class and the touting of militants killings by security forces suggest a worst is yet to come. Just few days back when Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik expressed his pain and anguish over the continuous killing of militants and appealed them to come back home and join mainstream, he was retorted by none other than his own security forces.
Barely two days after the statement the Jammu and Kashmir police celebrated a victory over killing of three militants in North Kashmir’s Baramulla town and declared it ‘militancy free’. The police chief Dilbagh Singh lauded his men after eliminating all the three surviving militants.
“With the killing of three surviving militants including Suhaib Akhoon, Mohsin Mushtaq and Nasir Ahmad Darzi, the Baramualla has become the first militancy free district with no surviving militant as on date. JK police extends thanks to the local population for all its support in providing a better security environment in the district,” the police quoted its chief in a press release.
“DGP police compliments its forces for their success and expects further consolidation of peace building efforts together by police and public,” it reads further.
The message by the highest office of police triggered a wide debate and criticism allegedly for provoking youth to pick gun.
The township, has been relatively peaceful for over a decade. In fact no major militancy related incident is attributed to these three militants prior to their killing while protests and shutdowns had also become a thing of past.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people took on social media and criticized the attitude of police force in celebrating the killings.
“On one side the governor is pained to see the militants being killed and said that they are misguided and shall come back to home. On the other side the ‘misguided’ youths killings are celebrated by his security forces,” writes a netizen Mohammad Idrees on social media website facebook.
The netizens questioned that if the Baramulla is really a militancy free zone now, it then warrants an initiatives of demilitarization and withdrawal of AFSPA from the district.
“Will India withdraw the AFSPA from district if it really is militancy free area? Can it also demilitarize the district now since there are no threats,” writes a lawyer and social activist, Mudasir Naqshbandi on his wall.
He was seconded by a journalist Sheikh Saleem who also advocated for the AFSPA removal from the district.
Meanwhile, majority of the residents turned the celebrations of police as an open provocation to the youth and insisting them to join the militancy.
“This is an open invitation for youth to join militancy,” wrote a Congress leader Mir Iqbal of Baramulla.
As the statement of police chief continued to trigger debate among the people, some people maintained that the tragedies of conflict are actually yielding an economy of a particular class and they need to sustain it.
“It will have severe consequences on conflict economy, and those till date benefitted from it will …,” responded Mir Iqbal-a journalist to one post.
Mudasir Hassan, a social activist from South Kashmir also sees it as an open provocation and asking youth to pick gun.
“This is clear provocation to ask youth to pick gun,” he laments on his facebook wall.
The celebrations by the police force for making Baramulla as militancy free districts have come at time when some unconfirmed sources claim that government is mulling to restrict the militants funerals to the families only.
Muneeb Ul Haq, Baramula based journalist wrote that few years back a similar kind of press release was issued by police about South Kashmir and “today the result is in front of us.”
Haq was pointing towards an unending phase of militancy that broke out in South Kashmir region several years ago.
Ironically, since last several years the funerals of militants have been attracting huge crowds in Kashmir and often multiple funeral prayers are offered to the slain militants. This trend is sending the arms signal to the security grid and so far all measures have failed to curb it.
It is believed that the massive militants funerals are giving birth to more militants and all measures would be taken to stop the glorifying of militancy.
When the funerals of militants could be restricted, how police can celebrate the victory of killing them. It can potentially damage the peace efforts, if ever launched in the valley by New Delhi.
“India must understand if it’s fighting a local indigenous militancy it is difficult to wipe out and the negotiations are the only solution,” said a security officer, wishing to be not named.
The official said that the Ministry of Home Affairs have recently issued the strict directions of not giving much publicity to the militants’ killings.
“The SOP was strictly followed after Manan Wani was killed in an encounter in Kupwara. His identity was not revealed until his body was handed over to his relatives. And police also maintained low on his killing otherwise that potentially could have given upsurge in militancy” he adds.
While the police received a severe backlash over its celebrations of killing only three surviving militants in Baramulla, it is yet to be seen how it will formulate any strategy to tackle the militancy without making any further provocations that further worsens the situation.
