Security agencies fret as militancy gains ground in Kashmir valley

NEW DELHI: The security agencies are watching with concern the return of local support for militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, with recent trends pointing to a rise in instances of Kashmiris turning up for funerals of slain terrorists, people's protests at the scene of encounters between the security forces and militants and an increase in recruitment of local Kashmiri youth into militancy.

Though local support for terror/militancy was on the downslide until three years ago, a turnaround was evident after the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal in February 2013. Fidayeen attacks, which had almost stopped around that time, have made a comeback. "These have further picked up in the past year, with suicide strikes reported not only in J&K but also in neighbouring Punjab. In each of these attacks, a link or mention of Afzal's hanging has been found. For instance, a handwritten note was found in a car waylaid by the Pathankot attackers, stating that they wanted to avenge Afzal's hanging," said an officer of the Central security establishment.

As per a recent assessment by the agencies, local recruitment of militants in J&K has been picking up. "It has further gone up lately, with not only more local boys joining the terror ranks but also some instances of desertions by J&K policemen, who disappeared along with their service weapons, to fight as militants. A deserter cop was recently killed in an encounter, an officer pointed out.

Intelligence inputs indicate Pakistani spy agency ISI's hand in enticing Kashmiri youth into militancy by projecting Afzal's execution as "injustice to Kashmiris". "The spurt in militant violence and people's protests against the security forces present an opportunity for Pakistan to bring the Kashmir issue to the centrestage," said an intelligence expert.

An officer argued that despite the rising militant/terror activity, the counter-terror grid is robust. "Of late, the killings of terrorists and militants in counter-terror operations have gone up...the numbers last year were much higher than the previous years ... this shows that the intelligence agencies, police and security forces are working in good coordination," said an officer.

"But the increase in popular protests in J&K is worrying as it means more hiding places for terrorists. We are tracking and engaging the terrorists but when it comes to popular protests, one has to tackle these with great care as use of excessive force could result in civilian fatalities. This often has a spiralling effect, disturbing overall peace in the Valley," said a senior IPS officer following the situation in Handwara in the wake of protests over an alleged molestation.