Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for a third term on Sunday (June 9) as head of a coalition government and the challenge of cross-border terrorism to the internal security fabric of the country was made evident in a deadly and cowardly manner.
On the day the new cabinet was sworn in, terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims from a shrine in the Reasi district of Jammu, resulting in the death of ten innocents including the driver and 33 people were grievously injured. The Resistance Front, an affiliate of the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) claimed responsibility for the dastardly attack and asserted that this was the “beginning of a renewed start.”
Even as security forces were dealing with the bus attack, terrorists struck yet again – on Tuesday (June 11) - this time in Kathua first and later in the Doda district of Jammu.
It has been reported that the Kashmir Tigers – an alleged offshoot of the terror group JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Rashtriya Rifles’ checkpost in the Chatergala area of Doda, in which five soldiers and a special police officer were injured.
Collectively, these three terror attacks in the Jammu region within three days of a new government assuming office in the Centre pose a complex challenge to the security establishment and will need to be addressed in an objective and resolute manner.
Terror Shifting Base to Jammu
The perpetrators of this proxy terror war and their handlers have clearly shifted their focus to the Pir Panjal range in the lower Himalayas in the Jammu division and these attacks point to both tactical lapses and the scale of the challenge that has to be grappled with in the months ahead.
The erstwhile composite state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been plagued by the challenge of state-sponsored terrorism leavened with misplaced Islamic jihadi fervour since the late 1980’s and curbing this was a major agenda for the Modi government. Soon after assuming office, Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019; J&K was divested of statehood and bifurcated into two UT’s of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Various hard security measures were introduced by Delhi in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 to contain and denude the eco-system supporting terrorism and in the run up to the 2024 election, it was claimed that the scourge of terrorism had finally been brought under control. The rise in the total number of tourists was projected by the PM as a sign of this improvement in the internal security of J&K.
Earlier in January, Home Minister Amit Shah had highlighted the fact that terrorist incidents were down by 66 percent since the abrogation of Article 370 and the muscular approach was applauded.
Fresh Attacks by New Groups
The three terror attacks in early June suggest that this proxy war will continue to simmer at varying degrees of intensity and the involvement of new groups – whether it is Kashmir Tigers or the Resistance Front – will call for an objective review of the motivating triggers and the recruitment pattern of the local citizenry; and the cross-border support being provided to them.
Over the decades, the LIC-IS (low intensity conflict – internal security) challenge in J&K has been dealt with in a multi-pronged manner, meaning that the local police, the paramilitary forces, the intelligence agencies and the army have different responsibilities and operate under a Unified Command (UC) that reports to the Lt. Governor - currently Manoj Sinha. It is reported that an emergency meeting of the UC has been called to take stock of these terrorist incidents and the immediate priority will be to ensure the safety of the Amarnath Yatra that begins on June 29 and concludes on August 19.
The BJP led by Modi-Shah had made the abrogation of 370 and the elimination of terrorism in J&K a major political objective since 2014. While this was partially realized in the second term – the final step of integration of the troubled region will be the holding of assembly elections before September 30 (as mandated by the Supreme Court) and the return to statehood. This would be a way of foiling the terrorists design to disrupt the normal rhythms of the state and society.
Modi 3.0 Objective in J&K
The safe conduct of the Amarnath yatra and the holding of local elections should be on top of the priority list for Modi 3.0 and an objective review of the last decade is imperative – as regards the successes and lapses in the political, security and intelligence domains and appropriate corrective measures introduced.
The terror attacks in Reasi, Kathua and Doda were setbacks and should serve as a spur for Modi 3.0 to tread the right path in relation to J&K. No terror challenge has been overcome by military means alone. An empathetic and equitable political process has to be sustained.
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