Getting lax about militancy in J&K

Saturday’s attack on a CRPF bus on the national highway at Pampore, near Srinagar, in which eight soldiers were killed, is a matter of serious concern. While it doesn’t denote a return to the bad old days of Pakistan-fuelled full-fledged militancy in the Kashmir Valley, it’s yet another pointer that a lot is simmering under the surface, and infiltration in aid of this sentiment is taking place on an increased — and steady — basis from across the Line of Control. Worse, this seems to be taking place with a sense of impunity.

The security forces have no doubt neutralised over three dozen militants in the past six months, including infiltrated Lashkar-e-Tayyaba elements from the Pakistan side, who operate with local support. But it is just as evident that the Pakistanis who come in operate with ease.

The strike on the CRPF bus occurred in the afternoon on a road on which there is regular traffic. This shows there is no system in place to patrol and monitor the busy highway, which is the link between Srinagar and South Kashmir, and also the last-mile connecting thread between New Delhi and Srinagar.

It was in the same broad area that a major attack took place in February which went on for a protracted period, and appeared to attract the support of the local populace, which tried to prevent the security forces from acting with freedom in the encounter with the militants holed up inside a building. Clearly this area is sensitive but the government and the security grid failed to show sufficient appreciation of this.

The Union home ministry is sending a committee to the Valley to understand how Saturday’s strike occurred. This is pretty much the routine thing to do. Home minister Rajnath Singh and defence minister Manohar Parrikar have both found it necessary to publicly address the Pampore attack. The latter has spoken out of turn by concluding, without an inquiry, that the standard operating procedure was not followed by the CRPF. And Mr Singh has just been rhetorical.

J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti avoided condemning militancy and infiltration. She merely said the bloodshed on Saturday brought a bad name to Muslims and to the state since it had taken place in the holy month of Ramzan. The CM needs to take a more forthright stand.

Much time has been lost since the PDP-BJP government came into office in J&K, with the partners sparring over their respective political agendas. The latest is the red herring pushed by the BJP of creating ghettos for displaced Kashmiri pandits. The truth is that no pandit has shown any keenness to return to the Valley. Security has been a casualty in this game of one-upmanship.