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| The larger picture of terrorism in J&K | | | Jasbir Sarai | 4/15/2011 7:54:37 PM |
| The politico-security situation in Kashmir has been the focus of attention for successive governments at the centre all through the six decades of independence of the country. It has also invited global attention since the Indo-Pakistan stand off on Kashmir has caused the region to be looked upon as a potential nuclear flashpoint. The advent of terrorism in the decade of the eighties, which was a result of a meticulously executed policy of a thousand cuts conceived by the Pakistani military dictator Zia-ul Haq, went on to cause havoc in the social, economic and cultural fabric of the region. India was called upon to fight a long and challenging battle against this foreign sponsored plague.
The atrocities committed by the terrorists, the courageous effort of the people and the security forces to challenge this menace, the aspiration of the people to follow democratic norms, all this and much has resulted in a defeat of these evil intentions of our inimical neighbor. Today terrorism has all but lost its teeth, though not totally eradicated it has been contained to levels where the damage is minimal.
All through this period of turmoil, the plight of the people of the Kashmir Valley drew tremendous media attention. All incidents, issues and ramifications were and continue to be scrupulously chronicled and commented upon. However, the reality is that it was not only the Kashmir Valley that suffered due to terrorism, the region south of the Pir Panjal has also suffered similar atrocity, pain, deprivation and loss in the hands of terrorists. The Gujjar/Bakarwals, the Pathowari speaking Muslims, Hindu Dogras and Sikhs who inhabit the southern slopes of the Pir Panjal were victims of the menace in equal measure if not more.
These people have seen terrible times due to terrorism yet there is very little awareness about their suffering, even less about the fight that they have so courageously put up in concert with the Army and with great loss to their lives and property. The general impression is that that terrorism was and continues to be confined to the Kashmir Valley and that the Jammu region is safe.
There is also a misplaced belief that due to this problem only Kashmiri Pandits were forced to abandon their natural habitat and that the Kashmiri speaking people are the only ones who have faced debilitating terrorist atrocity. The fact is that for the last two decades the entire region extending from Poonch to Doda has also witnessed forced abductions and exploitation of women, rampant killing of men, women and even children, attempts towards ethnic cleansing and forced migrations. Torture, loot, mass murder, all conceivable form of atrocity has been heaped upon these people. Terrorists have targeted the people regardless of their caste and religion and the spread has enveloped that entire area on the southern slopes of the Pir Panjal.
During the course of this long and debilitating battle many families have been totally wiped out, many have lost their earning members, others have witnessed their property being pillaged and destroyed and a whole lot have been forced to migrate from their home and hearth. Migrants from Poonch, Doda, Rajouri and Udhampur continue to live under inhuman conditions and some families have been forced to sell their small children for survival. Miscreants have reportedly encroached upon and taken possession of lands and property of the people who have fled from these areas. The convenor of Tehreek-e-Insaf, a non government organisation working for these strife torn people, Dr Mumtaz Hussain Bukhari, says that hundreds of innocent women and girls were given maltreatment by terrorists and a majority of them are Muslims.
The losses suffered by the terrorism hit people of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Reasi, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch districts have been terrible and yet they have responded stoically to save what is theirs. The concept of Village Defence Committees where local civilians were trained by the Army in the use of arms and given the responsibility to guard their own villages originated in these regions only. Undeterred by this onslaught the people have firmly and proudly cast their lot with India. In a State where stringent calls for a reduction in troop strength are heard, these people are silently praying for continuance of troop presence in their vicinity because their very survival is based on the protective umbrella that these very forces provide to them.
It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all those who sacrificed their lives in the struggle with terrorists are recognised and adequately compensated. Kashmir gets more attention mainly because the leadership of the State, whether separatist or mainstream, is predominantly Valley based, also because Pakistan’s main interest is restricted to Kashmir and it is the K-word that forms the fulcrum of all talks between the two countries. The nation has to look at a larger more realistic picture, it has to be ensured that all citizens are viewed at the same level and that the suffering, sacrifices and aspirations of all the people of the troubled State of Jammu and Kashmir are considered on an even scale. Pandering to a select elite that is guided primarily by motivated and vested interests is likely to create a feeling of isolation in a majority of the population and will, in turn, aggravate the problem rather than resolving it. Doubtless the interlocutors, who have met a large cross section of the States polity, will also give recommendation on these lines. What is more important is the application of the recommendations, the centre will have to ensure that politics do not hijack the more important people friendly agenda.
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