Terrorist attacks threaten Kashmir’s fragile normalcy: Urgent call for united action against militancy

Attacks by Pakistani terrorists on Indian armed forces are once again posing a security threat to Jammu and Kashmir, which is returning to normalcy. Five army personnel, including four soldiers and one CRPF personnel, were martyred in an ambush on an army convoy at a mosque in Jammu's Katwa district on Monday. This is the second attack by terrorists in two days. Since June, the Indian Army has faced five major terrorist attacks. It is suggested that the Pakistani terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen is behind Monday's attack. Monday was the anniversary of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani's killing in an encounter eight years ago.

After the announcement of the Lok Sabha election results, terrorist attacks in Kashmir should be seen seriously. The people of Kashmir had come forward to vote en masse in the general elections. Decades later, polling rose to 58 percent, which was seen as a sign of normalcy. The terrorists may be creating problems again with the aim of alienating the voters from the upcoming assembly elections. Preparations are underway for the first assembly elections to be held after the constitutional amendment that revoked Kashmir's special rights. Meanwhile, the resurgence of terrorist groups should be seen as an ominous sign.

The only way out is to confront these destructive forces. We need to put aside politics and come forward unitedly to give full support to the government in its actions against terrorists. It is a very difficult task to bring Jammu and Kashmir back to the national mainstream. It is noteworthy that there was no major agitation against the removal of the special status and powers of Jammu and Kashmir by the second Modi government. Only the successive rulers, who were enjoying the special status and the excessive wealth that came with it, are still on the scene criticizing the central action. The common people have started showing interest in trying to recover Kashmir, where development had stopped completely. The upcoming assembly elections give the people of Kashmir an opportunity to decide their own destiny.

It has to be assumed that the armed Pak terrorists infiltrating through the border are still getting help at the local level. Indian forces are constantly patrolling to detect such anti-national forces. However, terrorists are able to hide in Kashmir, which is full of mountains, hills and forests and attack when they get the chance. As usual, the opposition parties are preparing to criticize the central government. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized that the Modi government has become a big threat to the security of Jammu and Kashmir. Such immature criticism should not come from a leader who knows the Kashmir situation well. At least he should have remembered what Jammu and Kashmir was like when the Congress was in power for decades.