Do we need presence of Al Baghdadi to establish presence of ISIS in Valley?

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Do we need presence of Al Baghdadi to establish presence of ISIS in Valley?

Ravinder Jalali

3/24/2018 10:46:54 PM

After four long years of hope for the families of the Indian construction workers kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 from Iraq's Mosul city, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament that all 39 of them had been killed and buried in a mass grave. The bodies of the deceased which were exhumed from a mass grave in Iraq's Badosh would be handed over to their relatives after being brought back to India. The victims -- 27 from Punjab, four from Himachal Pradesh, six from Bihar, and two from West Bengal -- were construction workers employed by an Iraqi company in Mosul. The victims were taken hostage when the Islamic State took control of the second-largest city in Iraq. They were trying to leave Mosul when they were abducted.
Recently it was also reported in the media under headlines that three terrorists were killed in Anantnag in valley there by busting ISIS module which is a clear proof of the presence and the carrying of the activities of ISIS in Kashmir valley. This has been considered a success for the security forces in the Valley for dismantling the ISIS base in Kashmir. Three terrorists killed were belonging to Tehreek-ul Mujahedeen which is affiliate of ISIS. National Investigating Agency raided the central jail in Srinagar and recovered mobile phones, jihadi literature and Pakistani flags. Asif and Owais were initially considered of having joined Hizbul Mujahideen but later on it was found that they were part of Ansar Ghazat-ul-Hind, to establish Caliphate in Kashmir. Both were engaged in recruiting youth for establishing caliphate in Kashmir. At the time of their funerals at their places the dead bodies were carried in ISIS flags and ISIS flags were waved at his residence as well at the place of their burial. Even some terrorists appeared and fired in the air.
Despite these facts still the administration and the Govt are pleading ignorance and are denying the fact that there is presence of ISIS in the valley. A youth from Telangana who was recently killed in an encounter had come to Kashmir as an ISIS fighter should act as an eye-opener for those who refuse to acknowledge the presence of ISIS in Kashmir. Now the BJP unit in J&K is agreeing to accept the presence of ISIS in valley which they were denying earlier. Now they are demanding that the emergence of ISIS in Kashmir needs to be curbed with an iron hand. The government can no longer afford to remain in a denial mode.
Earlier GOI denied any presence of terror outfit ISIS in the Kashmir Valley, saying the militant group did not have any "physical infrastructure or manpower" in the region. The Centre's clarification comes in wake of the claims made by ISIS that it was behind the killing of a policeman in valley. Even the top police cop DGP said that "ISIS has been trying to get foothold in the country, particularly in the Valley. But so far they do not have presence except trying to influence some youth with the use of social media which is being regularly monitored by our intelligence agencies. By claiming the responsibility for killing the policemen in the Valley ISIS wants to send out a message that it is active in the region which however, is not the case." Earlier also ISIS had made several claims about having a hand in attacks in the valley. ISIS flags have surfaced in the valley from time to time, especially at the funeral of dead terrorists. When the funerals of dead militants are carried out their bodies are wrapped in ISIS flag.
Dy. Chief Minister had also said in the past that ISIS is not an immediate threat to J&K State and a few people who display ISIS flags after Friday prayers would stop doing it, if media stops paying attention to them. He further said that Pakistan had made a number of attempts to push militants into India but ISIS is not an immediate threat and people are mainly using ISIS flags to send out a message. He said that thousands of people come to offer prayers and a few out of them carry ISIS flags in their pocket to get the media attention.
Even an ordinary person can gauge the impact of terrorism and growing ISIS activities in J&K. We often find particularly when a terrorist is killed or there is a encounter between security forces and terrorists, how people come to rescue the terrorists by becoming themselves the shield for the militants and how they are holding and waiving ISIS flags in their hands and fights Indian establishment. Earlier also after every Friday prayers in downtown Srinagar the people used to waive flags and raise anti-India and pro-Pak slogans. It is not for media attention but it has a clear message to which Govt. turn blind eye to read the clear message. I have already mentioned in my earlier columns about the growing radicalisation of Kashmiri Youth. Security agencies have also expressed apprehensions that there can be more self-radicalised youth who can join then in future and can become a new and powerful group in the valley. Security forces have confirmed that the number of militants across LOC has gone up and infiltration attempts are on increase.
The statements and announcements from political parties and leaders from various organisations encourage and provoke people to wield arms and weapons besides carrying ISIS flags and then term them as innocents or misguided youths while as they are well guided and organised to do all these activities. On one hand State Govt. project themselves as democratically elected representatives of people and at the same time want centre to talk to Hurriyat, then the question arises, whom they (govt) represent? It is not necessary to include separatists in all dialogues of India and Pakistan.
Govt. should learn lessons from the start of militancy during the years in 1986 and 1989 in Kashmir, when there were enough indications of growing terrorism but at that time also the then Govt .ignored the warning signals and treated as mischief of misguided youths and later on what has happened is in front of us. Govt. should understand that the terrorist are always a few at the beginning and swells later on. Fire never starts all of a sudden. It starts from a spark. If we can not handle at spark level then we cannot handle when spark turns into big fire, and then problem becomes big and we are so small. At present every problem is small and we are big and enough competent to handle it, but when it grows we are not able to handle it. Govt cannot be complacent and shows non seriousness of growing tendency of local youth to join IS.
It is high time for the Govt. to come out of slumber and accept the fact that the ISIS is present in Valley, rather not in valley only but in India as well and this is the time to acknowledge and draw strategic action plan to wipe off the ISIS from valley before it spreads its wings across the nation and then it will become difficult to manage. After all we do not need the presence of Al Baghdadi in Valley to establish the ISIS presence.

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