Basharat Bhat
On a chilly autumnal evening on October 20, 2024, a horrific incident occurred when six employees of a construction company and a local doctor were killed in a terrorist attack at a tunnel construction site along the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Gagangir village, located in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. Five other people were injured in this attack. This attack was preceded by the killing of a non-local labourer in Shopian district. On October 24, another report emerged from Tral indicating that a non-local labourer was shot at. Later that day, an audacious attack was carried out on an army patrol in Botapathri, near Gulmarg, resulting in the deaths of two civilian porters and three soldiers. Security agencies have already identified few foreign and local terrorists who are involved in these attacks. These attacks mark one of the most significant acts of terrorism in the Kashmir valley in recent times, although there has been a notable increase in attacks on security forces within the Jammu division over the past year. The Z-Morh tunnel project on which these slain people were working is intended to ensure year-round access to the renowned tourist destination of Sonamarg, linking it with the broader Kashmir valley. This incident represents one of the first deadly assaults on a major infrastructure initiative in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade or so. In stark contrast to the prevalent narratives presented in various newspapers, it is important to recognize that numerous significant infrastructure initiatives in the Kashmir valley have faced violent opposition in the past. Notable incidents include the abduction and murder of an engineer involved in the railway line construction between Qazigund and Baramulla in 2004, as well as the tragic killing of nine laborers from Bihar and Nepal who were engaged in a Power Transmission project in Kulgam district in 2006. Furthermore, during the 1990s, militants routinely targeted bridges and other development projects, leading to extensive damage to the region’s infrastructure. Notably, in August 2012, a group of approximately 16 terrorists, half of whom were foreign nationals, disrupted work at the Wullar Conservation Project in the Sopore area of North Kashmir. Reports indicate that these militants ordered all laborers and engineers present to line up, instilling fear among them as they anticipated potential violence. The assailants brutally assaulted several project workers, confiscated their mobile phones, detonated an improvised explosive device, fired shots, and caused damage to project equipment, ultimately compelling the workers to abandon the site.It is evident that the Pakistani deep state has consistently employed its mercenaries to undermine infrastructural and developmental initiatives in the Kashmir Valley, in addition to engaging in various acts of destabilization.
All these terror attacks again make it clear that Pakistani deep state consistently poses a threat to peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the Kashmir Valley. Following the recent peaceful elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, it appears that Pakistan’s frustration has intensified. Once a significant player in the region which commanded penetration deep into Kashmir’s political, social and religious spheres, in the post-2019 scenario, Pakistan now finds itself sidelined from the discourse surrounding the valley. In the valley, it is often remarked that prior to the year 2019, the Generals based in Rawalpindi exercised control over the operational hours of educational institutions and commercial enterprises in Kashmir as they had fostered a loyal support network and effectively establishing a parallel governance system while simultaneously engaging in hostilities against the Indian state.
However, those days are largely now behind us, and Pakistan’s diminishing role in the valley has left its military leaders feeling increasingly agitated. Discussions within Pakistani deep state circles have emerged regarding the potential relegation of the “Kashmir issue” to “cold storage,” a development that could provoke their dangerous actions like the attack in Gagangir and Botapathri, or the attacks in the mountains of Jammu division. Consequently, it is imperative to maintain heightened alertness, especially as there has been a noted relaxation in counter-terrorism strategies, with numerous individuals being released on bail and some sleeper cells have begun to reactivate as banned groups have restarted some of their activities.One day after the Gagangir attack, Jammu and Kashmir police cracked down on a terror recruitment cell being operated by a Pakistani handler on Telegram who was aiming to raise a new group called “Tehreek Labaik ya Muslim.” The fear is that in the coming days, terror attacks may increase. Given the current dynamics in the region and the ever-increasing exasperation of Pakistani generals over the Indian state’s comprehensive achievements on the counter-insurgency front, it is also a possibility that Pakistani deep state may be contemplating an attack here on the lines of the October 7 attack in Israel.
But what is really disappointing is that apart from few discrete sections, large sections of Kashmiri society continue to resort to denialism and evasion on the fact of Pakistani sponsored terrorism. It goes without saying that most of the victims of Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir have been those people who don’t fit into the imaginary realm of “Kashmir banega Pakistan” – Non-Muslims and Nationalist Kashmiri Muslims. They are seen as the first stumbling block to the project of creating a theocratic utopia in Kashmir. This has been the bedrock of the terror insurgency ever since its inception. But a significant section of the populace in Kashmir continues to live in denialism about it. This attitude gives a free pass to the terrorism by resorting to absurd conspiracy theories which refuses to put blame on Pakistan or its local cohorts. Acknowledging the existence of terror could be the first step towards confronting it, but that has often not been the case. This is happening so because of the power of propaganda that Pakistani deep state thrives on when it comes to certain sections of the Kashmiri society. We have to acknowledge that ever since Pakistan launched a proxy war in Kashmir in the form of insurgency and terrorism, it has been on a constant propaganda roll. It has waged this war on multiple fronts. Besides sponsoring gunmen and their violent acts, Pakistani sponsored proxy war also thrives on information warfare, propaganda, misusing religion to indoctrinate young minds, and also institutional subversion. Pakistan has propelled fake narratives and manipulated discourses to create dissatisfaction and hatred among Kashmiri youth towards India. Everything pertaining to India, like its constitutional democracy and institutions including the security forces have been maligned and presented in negative and extremely bleak terminology. Propaganda is an integral part of the terror insurgency that Pakistani deep state and its local cohorts have unleashed against the Kashmiri people and the larger Indian state. As a result of this propaganda, many integral facets about Kashmir have remained obfuscated not only internationally, but also to the Kashmiri society itself.
This long era of denialism and evasion must not persist, as it is essential for all Kashmiris to acknowledge that such acts of terror will further devastate only themselves as if the last 3 decades have not been enough. This situation cannot be allowed to endure; it is crucial to bring an end to this relentless cycle of violence, which has only deepened the despair and hopelessness felt by many thoughtful individuals. While security forces remain vigilant in thwarting potential threats, the primary responsibility for combating this madness lies with the broader Kashmiri community. It is vital for every Kashmiri, irrespective of their political or religious beliefs, to unequivocally denounce such heinous acts. These violent incidents do not contribute to the establishment of a stable and peaceful Kashmir, nor do they foster social cohesion among the various communities that have already suffered irreparable harm following the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit population. History must not be allowed to repeat itself due to the terror instigated by the Pakistan-sponsored militants and orchestrated by the malevolent Generals in Rawalpindi along with their local allies. The condemnation of these attacks by segments of Kashmiri society is indeed appropriate; however, it is crucial for all factions within the community to unite in their denunciation of such violence. Until the Kashmiri populace collectively ceases to endorse and support the violent actions of Pakistan’s proxies, these expressions of condemnation will ultimately hold little significance. There must be a growing awareness among the larger segments of Kashmiri society that the preservation of peace and stability hinges on our collective and unequivocal stand against such terror.Our youth must not become mere instruments of this ideology, as it promises nothing but the ruin of life and society.
(The author is an Academic based in Srinagar)
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