In J&K, optics go beyond the street to the social media

A security jawan stands guard on a road with graffiti in Srinagar as curfew was reimposed in parts of Kashmir on July 27. (Photo: PTI)

While the efforts of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence got neutralised south of Pir Panjal, in the Valley it led to Hizbul Mujahideen getting a boost with a fresh induction of Kashmiri youths. Handsome ex-cricketer, Burhan Wani was made the posterboy and social media was aggressively used to radicalise Kashmiri Muslim youth and inspire them to join its ranks.

Further, some unexpected actions and statements by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti led to the ISI pressing the separatists to deliver.

On May 31, Ms Mufti, while concluding the discussion on the governor’s address in the Legislative Council, reportedly for the first time after assuming office, lashed out at separatists. Without naming any separatist leader, she accused them of disturbing peace on Fridays by making them stone-throwing days. She also reportedly said: “It is not only you (Opposition), many others (separatists) have been issuing fatwas that I am anti-Muslim. Kashmiriyat is that we should safeguard our religion and stay together. Our Islam is not what they (separatists) say you have to do (protests and stone pelting) on Fridays Islam does not preach slaughtering and shouting religious slogans”.

Ms Mufti reiterated the PDP-BJP government’s stand of bringing back migrant Kashmiri Pandits with respect. Earlier, while speaking in the Assembly on the rehabilitation process of displaced Kashmiri Pandits and other migrants, Mehbooba is reported to have said she would “not throw Kashmiri Pandits like ‘pigeons before the cat’.”

While the National Conference said that Ms Mufti owed an apology to people of Kashmir, Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said she had “lost her mental balance after gaining power”. She hit out at critics over the allegations that bringing back Pandits with Article 370 was totally wrong.

On June 12, Ms Mufti visited the much-revered Kheer Bhavani Temple, in Ganderbal, where thousands of Kashmiri Pandits had converged to attend the annual mela (fair) and said: “Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits... They will be brought back to Kashmir.” She also met with two Pandit pilgrims who were injured during stone-pelting between protesters and police over the establishment of a police post, a day earlier. Calling the incident “unfortunate”, Ms Mufti said, “It creates a wrong impression as lots of young Kashmiris are studying outside. There will be stigma associated with those involved in stone-pelting incidents in the future.”

Following a build-up of a number of events and issues, including the ones mentioned here, the killing of Burhan Wani, worth a bounty of '10,00,000 and 10 of his cohorts by security forces was used by ISI and Pakistani terrorist leaders to spark-off an unprecedented drive of inciting the public, particularly the youth to launch violent clashes.

After Wani’s killing, Hafiz Saeed not only addressed meetings in Lahore and Muzaffarabad to mobilise terrorists and separatists to up the ante in the Valley, but has been ranting afresh that Pakistan should sever diplomatic relations with India, ban Indian films, media, etc. Kashmiri separatist leaders not only have meetings with the Pakistani high commissioner and his colleagues in New Delhi, but also attend Pakistani terrorist leaders’ meetings/rallies in Pakistan.

The new strategy includes active use of social media to glorify terrorists and aggressively assault police personnel and attack their posts. The separatists’ intricate network of agents down to localities, colonies or streets were in hyper mode directing locals to unprecedented levels of disruptive acts with supervision by ISI and Pakistani terrorist leaders.

The thrust has to be twofold — tackle security and political alienation. For security, firstly, separatists and their wide network must be neutralised and not be allowed to reorganise. Second, India must redevelop the capability to covertly strike at terrorists beyond its borders. Both these require political will which must be exercised.

For overcoming the alienation that Kashmiris face, keeping in view that all of them up to the age of 40 or so have been deprived of post-Independence Indo-Pak history, the government must make sustained use of the same tools of Internet and social media to effectively expose Pakistan’s nefarious designs on Kashmir and enlighten not only Kashmiris, but also powerful nations who have already been targeted by terrorists, or may be so in future.

An Army veteran points out to the sheer duplicity of the Hurriyat leaders, with their sons living abroad, pursuing professions other than jihad.

Name one relative of Syed Ali Geelani, the head of the Hurriyat Conference, who is fighting the so-called Indian “occupation” His son Nayeem Geelani is a doctor in Rawalpindi, and lives under the patronage of the Pakistani ISI. Zahoor, his second son, lives in South Delhi. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s sister Rabia is a doctor in the US. Mariyam Andrabi, sister of head of the radical Dukhtran-e-Millat, Asiya Andrabi lives in Malaysia along with her family.

Every Kashmiri separatist leader’s daughter or son is rich and safe, outside Kashmir. Jihad is for other people’s sons. Asking why no one questions the Hurriyat, this veteran mentions how Pakistani media was ecstatic when Kashmiris celebrated Id this year along with Pakistan and not with the rest of India. This is the first time in the 1,400-year history of Islam that Id was declared, not by witnessing the Shawwal moon, but by looking towards Pakistan. Well done!

The Hurriyat has nothing to do with Kashmiris. This unrest, this bloodshed is just another business. If not, I would like to see the list of martyrs from the family of the Hurriyat leadership.

Anil Bhat, a retired Army officer, is a defence and security analyst based in New Delhi