Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 11: The prevailing unrest in Kashmir Valley in the wake of the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani and his associates in the Kokarnag area of Kashmir three days ago has attracted the attention of all, including experts. All of them have expressed grave concern over the developing situation in Kashmir and said the Government of India must not blink. They have also appreciated the security forces for their achievement and criticized former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the so-called human rights activists, who have described the killing of these terrorists as a state-sponsored act of terror.
They have also put forth suggestions, which, they believe, if accepted, would help the authorities tackle the situation in Kashmir. One of the leading experts has put forth three suggestions.
One, the first need is intelligence. We have to invest large sums of money in buying and generating both human and electronic intelligence so that we are a step ahead of the jihadis.
Two, we have to move out of a defensive mindset and turn aggressive. This does not mean more use of the army, but less. Terrorism cannot be defeated by the army; it needs a mobile and agile special police force that operates like a guerrilla counter-insurgency outfit. Andhra defeated the Maoists with its Greyhounds. KPS Gill defeated the Kahlistani militants with his police force that used unorthodox methods to tackle terror. When terror is homegrown, the terrorists themselves are vulnerable, as they have families in the same place where they create mayhem. So while the army is slowly withdrawn to the barracks and the borders, special police forces need to be created to neutralise the terrorists one by one. Wani is only the beginning, not the end.
Three, political moves to end Kashmiri alienation need to be accompanied by hints of changing laws to allow Indians to settle in Kashmir. This move will have support in the rest of India, even if they are opposed in the Valley itself. Threats to change the demography over the next 25 years are important to send a message that terrorism will not be allowed to succeed.
He has said, and very rightly, that the stakes are high for India in Jammu & Kashmir. "If we lose this battle, we have lost the soul of secular India. It is not about a piece of real estate. Kashmir is where the idea of Pakistan should be comprehensively defeated and buried," he has said. He is absolutely right.
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