Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 17: For decades, Kashmir’s terrorism was painted as a story of deprivation—of poverty, unemployment, and exploitation. But the latest revelations have ripped apart that convenient myth. The disturbing truth is that terror in Kashmir has long been enabled by the privileged, the educated, and the socially respected.
The recent Faridabad terror plot has stunned the nation. The accused were not ragtag foot soldiers but doctors from affluent Kashmiri families—fluent in English, tech-savvy, living in spacious homes with gardens, and enjoying comfortable lifestyles. Yet, beneath their polished exteriors lay a chilling resolve: radicalisation rooted not in deprivation, but in ideology.
Names like Dr Umar Mohammad, Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzammil Shakeel, Dr Shaheen Saeed, Dr Mohammed Arif Mir, and Dr Farooq Ahmad Dar have surfaced, with reports suggesting nearly 15 more doctors may be part of this sinister “White Coat Terror” module.
This is not an aberration. From the 1980s surgeon Dr Abdul Ahad Guru, who openly backed separatists, to the Shopian case of 2009, where doctors fabricated evidence to inflame unrest, Kashmir’s educated elite have repeatedly weaponised their stature to fuel terror.
Even recent years have seen professors, scientists, jail officials, and senior doctors dismissed or arrested for terror links. The chilling reality: radicalisation has seeped into every layer of Kashmiri society, including its most privileged class.
The ideological core Kashmir’s terror ecosystem has never been about lack of development. It is an ideological war jihad backed by Pakistan’s unfinished 1947 dream. When military invasions failed, Islamabad turned to proxy wars, targeting Kashmiri Pandits first and embedding radicalisation across society.
The Faridabad case is a wake-up call. Terror in Kashmir is not a blue-collar phenomenon—it is institutional, socially enabled, and disturbingly endorsed by the educated elite. Until the nation confronts this uncomfortable truth, the rot will continue to fester.
The myth is shattered. The terror ecosystem is not built by the poor—it is powered by privilege. |
