The surge in terrorism in J&K is visible with more than eight terrorist incidents beginning with the Reasi terror attack coinciding with the swearing-in ceremony of NDA-3.0. So far, 119 security forces personnel, including 51 in the Jammu Division, have been killed in J&K in the last three years. Some 40-50 well-trained terrorists are suspected to be operating south of Pir Panjal Range in the Poonch-Rajouri-Kathua-Doda areas; using modern weapons abandoned by the United States in Afghanistan and encrypted communications using Chinese telecom equipment. Liquid IEDs have reappeared in J&K after many years.
Beheadings and mutilation of our soldiers by the Pakistani army/terrorists are not new. Bodies of Captain Saurabh Kalia and men in his patrol in 1999 showed horrific torture, mutilation and dismemberment. But the periodicity of barbarity has gone up now and Darknet has videos of mutilated bodies of an Indian Army officer and his men – boosting the morale of the terrorists and promoting Islamic Jihad. The next of kin bravely salute the sacrifices but the funeral of dead soldiers inside locked coffin boxes was a disgraceful sight.
A post from Colonel Avner Mueller of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reads: ”Every single day I read news about Indian soldiers getting killed by the Pakistani army. Do you Indians feel no pain for the loss of lives of your soldiers? I am especially pointing fingers at your government. Unless you show the world you can strike back, and with a vengeance, the world will keep thinking of you Indians as weak and worthless. You will have no standing on the world stage, from a respect standpoint. Is this how you Indians like to be viewed worldwide? We Israelis respect the life of every single soldier, no matter his or her rank in the IDF.”
”Every single day I read news about Indian soldiers getting killed by the Pakistani army. Do you Indians feel no pain for the loss of lives of your soldiers? I am especially pointing fingers at your government. Unless you show the world you can strike back… the world will keep thinking of you Indians as weak and worthless,” says Colonel Avner Mueller of the Israeli Defense Forces
Post review of J&K’s security by the prime minister, an Infantry Brigade, Special Forces and CAPF from outside J&K are being inducted in the Jammu region. Political statements of taking revenge and that perpetrators will be punished are routine. But social media posts say the lives of soldiers matter little to politicians ensconced in layers of security, bureaucrats watching the fun, and yes-men ever ready to whitewash the pusillanimous government attitude.
The recent terrorist attacks are being treated as “routine surges” by spin doctors, with comments like “suicide attacks can’t be stopped” – are all these suicide attacks? A government-employed veteran writes these “small incidents are because Pakistani terrorists find it increasingly difficult to execute large-scale terror attacks like Pulwama.” How much effort went into the Pulwama car-bombing and if his logic is a lack of local support to terrorists, don’t the ongoing terrorist attacks signal a lack of human intelligence – read increased local support to terrorists?
Terrorism in J&K was subdued before the 1999 Kargil conflict but revived after 8 Mountain Division was moved from the Valley to Kargil. Post the 2020 Chinese aggression in Ladakh, ‘Uniform Force’ of Rashtriya Rifles was moved to Ladakh disturbing the CT grid. Interestingly, additional CAPF inducted into J&K were termed akin to US Marines by the ‘faithful’ media. The current political focus on NH-44 for the Amarnath Yatra has also thinned troops from other areas. Moreover, troops’ shift to the LAC from outside J&K has facilitated infiltration from across the border with Pakistan; enabling/creating/reviving networks through bribes and coordinating the move of terrorist groups with Gujjars-Bakarwals.
Political statements of taking revenge and that perpetrators will be punished are routine. But social media posts say the lives of soldiers matter little to politicians ensconced in layers of security, bureaucrats watching the fun, and yes-men ever ready to whitewash the pusillanimous government attitude
There have been calls to repeat Operation ‘Sarp Vinash’ conducted south of Pir Panjal in 2009. This can be ‘part’ of our response but remember: Sarp Vinash was carried out in phases over three months; one Special Forces battalion was employed with four infantry battalions in support; local support from Gujjars-Bakarwals was available then, which is diminished now with the cause attributed to local politicians. Moreover, there is no guarantee a similar surge “can’t” happen north of Pir Panjal – suicide attacks?
We need to exact revenge from the Pakistan army, which certainly cannot be one ‘surgical strike’ or Balakot-type standoff bombing once in 10 years. This has to be immediate (within 24 hours) causing double the casualties; striking back with a vengeance as Avner Mueller of IDF says. The formations ‘actually’ need to be given a free hand. The Army knows how to exact revenge but can the political hierarchy develop the spine for this? A dirty war must have a dirty response, which need not be opposite the same sector. As a nation, if we cannot take risks, then we will continue in the same state.
Special Forces must be ‘part’ of such a response as their primary task is across the border. How else can we respond to BAT actions by the Pakistani army? If Special Forces are to operate within J&K doing what the Infantry should, and the Army doing the job of BSF and CAPF, why do we have Special Forces at all?
The 30-40 sq km Poonch-Rajouri-Kathua-Doda area should be sanitised, but we also must be ‘ruthless’ in eliminating the terrorists and their supporters in other areas. Once sanitised, human monitoring of thickly forested areas would still be required. Small self-contained Special Forces teams were inducted in the forests of Sri Lanka during IPKF operations – to lie doggo, observe and form the base for an ambush when the opportunity arose. The risk factor is always there but can we take a cue from it? AFSPA must be delinked from politics – no matter how painful to politicians.
For the Army, letting the guard down is unacceptable. Are we getting carried away with the rhetoric that terrorism vanished with demonetisation or that following the abrogation of Article 370 everything is hunky-dory in J&K? There can be no shortcut to caution in a full-fledged insurgency environment
For the Army, letting the guard down is unacceptable. Are we getting carried away with the rhetoric that terrorism vanished with demonetisation or that following the abrogation of Article 370 everything is hunky-dory in J&K? There can be no shortcut to caution in a full-fledged insurgency environment.
Do our policymakers realise we are in the crosshairs of full-fledged Islamic Jihad, coupled with American designs to destabilise South Asia, increasing Talibanisation of Pakistan and China-backed Pakistan facilitating Ghazwa-e-Hind, (TTP-HGB are trending “Ghazwa-e-Hind” since March 2024)? This is apparent from the following:
- David Petraeus, former director of the CIA says, “TTP and its allies challenged not only the US-led coalition in Afghanistan but present a distinct threat to Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure. TTP is now a threat to the very existence of Pakistan, supplanting even India.”
- Emir of TTP Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud has messaged Pakistan and the UN that TTP is an invincible, organised guerilla force in the entire Pakistan with organised organisational structure, military and intelligence system, undertaking jihad against Pakistan.
- Babar Ali, a senior TTP commander says, “Entire country (Pakistan) is now under our control, we are present in every corner of Pakistan.”
- TTP-HGB fighters have been located in the vicinity of Pakistan’s Dera Ghazi Khan nuclear facility for the past two months, with Muhammad Naik Waziristani, commander of this group saying, “It is important to acquire nuclear weapons for protecting Muslim Ummah from invasion of their lands by foreign forces.”
- Pak-backed Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Shamsher Khan has threatened terrorist attacks outside J&K, referring to India’s call Ghar Main Ghuske Marenge, said in an interview, “We will implement it and we will show you that you will have to make another Kashmir.”
- A recent development is US and Pak-based Al Qaeda in Asia (AQIS) recruiting in J&K. This development happened immediately after the recent US-Pakistan joint exercise. Recruitment is facilitated due to increasing unemployment, rising inflation, sale of land to outsiders and rise in liquor business in the Jammu region.
The notion that J&K has foreign fighters only from Pakistan could soon change not only because of AQIS focus but also US-surrogate ISIS spreading its area of influence, as witnessed by the recent terror attack in Oman. Indian defence exports to Armenia and Pakistan lending proxy boots to Azerbaijan resulted in calls from Azerbaijan to send jihadi fighters to attack J&K. This may happen now with Azerbaijan President Ilham Ailyev visiting Pakistan in July 2024 saying, “Azerbaijan always supports and will continue to support Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir.” Turkey, which firmly supports Pakistan on Kashmir, has banned defence exports to India.
Finally, India must change to a proactive stance against terrorism from its defensive policy. We should be prepared for terror attacks becoming uglier that may include the use of radiological/chemical devices and nuclear blackmail.
-The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
