The encounter at Kulgam in South Kashmir, which claimed lives of five militants and injured two security personnel, serves as a stark reminder that violence continues to persist on the margins of an otherwise relatively peaceful Kashmir. While the region has witnessed significant changes in recent years, with a revival of tourism and a measure of normalcy returning to the Valley, the shadow of violence looms large, especially in the hilly areas and some parts of the countryside.
This gunfight underlines how pockets of militancy continue to disrupt the region. Though the general perception of Kashmir may lean towards a return to normalcy, incidents like these reveal that beneath the surface, a marginal violence remains a reality, manifested in sporadic, deadly clashes.
This is not to downplay the gains made on the security front in the valley in recent years. Militancy has by and large shrunk into insignificance in the region. The number of the local youth taking up arms has come down drastically. And the foreigners seem to be stepping into the consequent void. Jammu division, on the other hand, has been in the news this year mainly for security reasons. Militancy in the region has revived after over a decade of absence. Recurrent attacks have brought Jammu to the edge. And a more or less similar state of affairs is prevailing in the Valley now.
However, it is an evolving situation and thus has nothing to do with the formation of the elected government and which has no control over the security situation. Also, there is nothing surprising about the resurfacing of the militancy in the Valley. The past 35 years have witnessed a rise and fall of violence. And often when we thought the militancy was over, it returned to disrupt the peace. Never had it come so close to extinction as by 2013 when the Valley had a little over fifty militants, only a small number of them locals.
In recent years also, the number of local militants in the Valley steeply went down and the recruitment almost came to nought. But here we are again, with the shortfall being replenished by the militants from Pakistan. This has been the story of J&K militancy over the past more than three decades and a factor in its perpetuation. The best counter-insurgency strategy that would help can’t be entirely security-centric. It has always alienated people. We need one that reaches out to people and seeks their cooperation.
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