In four jihadi attacks conducted in a single day, 21 persons lost their lives including 11 army and 3 police personnel. Six heavily armed jihadis who attacked an army camp at Mahora in Uri sector at 3 AM were liquidated after a six hour long gun battle. In the outskirts of Srinagar city, two jihadis including a senior commander of LeT were also gunned down by the police. Two civilians were killed and 11 others wounded when militants lobbed a grenade on a vehicle which, however, missed the target. Jihadis lobbed a grenade on a police station in Shopian but it did not cause any damage.
The two jihadis killed in Soura encounter had been hiding in a local house and arms and ammunition was recovered from the site. Evidently in the case of Mahora attack, the jihads have been provided full logistical support by their local conduits. They have had sufficient time to make full reconnaissance of Army’s 31 Field Regiment Ordinance Camp located in Mahora, Uri.
These were well-coordinated attacks, and the jihadis must have gone through many consultations before embarking on the adventure. So far it is the biggest attempt by jihadis to let loose violence in the valley where two phases of election have been conducted successfully and preparations for holding the remaining phases are underway.
Kashmir separatists and secessionists function through organizations like Hurriyat factions and others known for their anti-democracy stance had, as usual, given a call for boycott of elections and polling— nothing new. But what is new and, of course, conspicuous, is that in both the phases conducted so far, turnout of voters has been incredibly very high something between 70 and 80 per cent. This put the separatists in very embarrassing situation because it makes them irrelevant for Kashmiris. Even the mainstream parities like NC, PDP and Congress did not expect that the turnout would be so massive.
Pro-separatist sections of media and even contesting political parties, feeling unnerved by massive turnout of voters, are trying to rationalize their embarrassment by asserting that participating in elections and the core political issue of Kashmir are two different things and need not be mixed. This is perverted logic. Even the leadership of a prominent contesting party, unable to hide its discomfiture, held sections of media responsible for acceleration of jihadi attacks by giving hype to massive turnout of voters. It plainly reflects the tendency of double speak, a malaise that has been the bane of Kashmir political class.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to address an election rally in Srinagar on 8th of December. Earlier he visited Kashmir twice, including a hurried visit to assess the destruction caused by the floods. In all probability, the third and the most crucial phase of Assembly election is going to repeat the practice of two past phases. Those who have given a call for boycott understand well that they stand rejected.
The multiple jihadi attack under discussion is another glaring proof of involvement of Pakistani jihadi organization Lashkar-e-Toiba in Kashmir conflict. Pakistani civilian government is either incapable of controlling the LeT muscleman Hafiz Saeed from publicly serving threats to India or it is an accomplice in the act. In either case it is very unfortunate. That is why India has always wished Pakistan enjoy strong and vibrant democracy where people are able to give expression to their free will and not get carried away by frenzied religious haranguing.
Note the warning issued by Hafiz Saeed at the end of a recently held two-day conference in Lahore asserting that Narendra Modi should be straightforward and resolve the Kashmir dispute, and if he is not ready to resolve it, then God willing, Kashmir will be the gateway and we will Jihad against India. We expected Pakistan government to restrain him but Islamabad has one for all absolved itself of that responsibility by pandering to “non state actor” theory? It is in this context that Indian Home Minister, Rajnath Singh said that India was ready to lend her support to Pakistan in controlling the “non state actors” in that country so that the entire region is provided peace and security.
The ground situation is this: Pakistan army has created a large and strong force of jihadis whom it provides training, indoctrination, arms and incentives and uses them against India with Kashmir as the flash point. Islamabad is incapable of controlling these armed and indoctrinated musclemen, and hence, stands on the horns of dilemma as to what stance it should adopt. If it exercises constitutional powers to curb the tendency of violating international law and norms of relationship, army will sideline it by a coup or political contrivance as was attempted by Imran-Qadri alliance.
Should India serve an ultimatum to Islamabad to be followed by ordering her troops to march into Pakistan territory as a measure of self-defence? That means a war with Pakistan. No, that is not the way. We have to continue with the policy of tooth for tooth and eye for eye. We must complete the five phases of election in J&K and announce the result as per schedule. The process for forming a government will take its natural course. This will be a strong rebuttal to our adversaries.
Before concluding, we pay tributes to the martyred soldiers and policeman who laid down their precious lives in the defence of the country in these encounters. These valiant soldiers are the pride and glory of our nation. In particular, martyred Lt. Col. Sankalp Kumar will find his name among the bravest of the brave who, along with two soldiers of his 24th Punjab Regiment, rushed out to challenge the jihadis who attacked the Mahora camp and was martyred while fighting the enemy. An almost fatal battle injury 11 years ago had written him off for field duty. In an action in 2003 in Kashmir he had received volley of shots on his belly but survived the attack and resolved to fight the enemy. We salute them and we make a pledge to their memory that we shall take all steps to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir remains integral part of the Indian Union. We shall also redeem the resolve expressed by the Indian Parliament in 1994 to recreating the original State of Jammu and Kashmir.
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