er trained, nor motivated nor even equipped to challenge the might of the army, hence are being eliminated rapidly. If this also has to reduce then the government needs to act. This is the time when the government machinery should have begun to regain control over the districts and towns. Interactions between elected representatives and the public, to explain government […]
Extremism and violence is a latent quality in every individual, which remains subdued, unless ignited by an external force. This force may be an extreme belief in religion or an orator with the ability to mould his audience by the power of his speech or a violent incident which impacts the individual. The most dangerous orator is one who invokes […]
India is celebrating seventy years of its independence. Over the years, state borders have been changed or states carved from larger states as the need arose, to meet the aspirations of the masses. The boundaries of J and K, the most diverse state of the nation, have remained unchanged, though it should ideally have been split into manageable and contiguous […]
Every time a local militant is killed, the valley breaks out in protests. The most violent and prolonged protest in recent times was after the elimination of Burhan Wani, a militant who was more a poster boy, avoiding clashes with security forces. He was eulogised by the separatists, with Geelani announcing that he would be honoured with the “Tangma-e-Azeemat” (medal […]
In recent times, there has been an intense debate on the legality of Article 35 A of the Indian constitution, specifically as it concerns J and K. This article empowers the state legislature to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state, their special rights and privileges. It was added to the constitution through a presidential order of 1954 with the concurrence […]
The NIA’s investigation into hawala transactions involving the separatists and their ilk has entered a decisive phase. A sting operation, in which their members openly boasted of unlimited flow of funds to disrupt normal life and deny children even basic educational facilities by burning schools, opened a Pandora’s box. The trail is now being connected and source of funds being […]
The attack on the bus of returning Amarnath yatri’s resulting in seven deaths has shaken the nation. Protests and bandhs paralysed life in Jammu for a couple of days, the starting point of the yatra, as also in other parts of the state, in solidarity. A candle light vigil was held in Srinagar and ‘not in my name’ vigil in […]
A year ago, on July 8th the army eliminated Burhan Wani, the local commander of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), an important militant face, in an encounter. His poster boy approach and vast use of social media had made him a household name across the valley. He was a known face of HuM though had rarely participated in operations, however was more […]
I had written in this column some time ago on the new strategy being implemented by the government for Kashmir. This strategy had a few basic elements. They included hard response to Pakistan along the LoC for attempted transgressions, multiple layered deployment for thwarting infiltration attempts, increased operations against terrorists operating in the valley, additional powers to police forces to […]
The last few days have witnessed a spurt of incidents in the valley. Increased attempts at infiltration have resulted in over fourteen militants killed. Junaid Matoo, a known militant with an immense bounty on his head was gunned down in an encounter. There was also a brutal ambush in which militants killed six policemen. An off-duty policeman, Shabir Ahmad Dar, […]