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, […]
Encounters with militants result in casualties to security forces. Incidents of stone throwing, protests and anti-national comments by the Hurriyat dominate headlines at regular intervals. Local poster boy militants, scared of challenging the army, secure in their hideouts or homes, issue statements on social media, asking people to support them, which are widely circulated. Security forces operations against them are […]
Twice a year, the J and K state machinary moves along the national highway, spending summers in Srinagar and winters in Jammu. It maintains this practice of pre-Independence India. This shift of the state government, termed darbar move, involves movement of staff, families and resetting up government offices. While the move is in progress, the working of the government comes […]
Those of us who have visited Kashmir, even when it was peaceful or have served in the state, would always carry a few stark realities of the region. Firstly, as a tourist you are always asked, ‘have you have come from India’, and secondly, All India Radio was and continues to be termed as Radio Kashmir. That stated, they were […]
An incident can change a life, an incident can bring fame as also an incident can become a topic for a national debate which continues to simmer, long after it occurred, with no signs of dying down. The tying of Ahmed Dar to the jeep by Major Gogoi is one such. Proponents of the incident, salute the officer for his […]
The army and the nation have immense experience in handling insurgencies. We have been battling them since the fifties. The Naga insurgency began in 1958 and the Mizo uprising in 1966. A watershed in the history of the country occurred on 5 Mar 1966, when Indira Gandhi had the air force bomb Aizawl, the only time in Indian history, when […]
The recent by polls in Srinagar and resultant videos dominated news headlines for all the wrong reasons. Holding elections in a strife torn region was a wrong decision to start with. Even the state had protested to the Election Commission (EC). However, for the EC and the government, it was a tough choice. Delaying elections would give the opposition including […]
Two videos, amongst many other similar clips, went viral on social media recently. The first was the manhandling of a CRPF jawan and the second of a stone thrower, tied to an army vehicle. The reactions of the media and politicians depended on whether they were pro or anti- government. It has also resulted in twitter battles between supporters and […]
The encounter killing of Hizb-ul- Mujahideen local commander and poster boy militant, Burhan Wani, led to widespread disturbances in Kashmir. There was a mass of humanity, mainly the youth who attended his funeral. Subsequently, the situation deteriorated at a rapid pace, which took security agencies by surprise. Though like in earlier militant funerals, a crowd was expected, however, the rapid […]