Just like the Skylab myth, ISIS in Kashmir is another illusion

They say all art is propaganda — in one way or the other. In modern times news too has become agitprop. It is hard to tell one from the other. Whether subconsciously or deliberately, we play into the hands of propagandists. Islamic State (IS), or Daesh, has nearly perfected this art. 

In the 13th issue of its online magazine, Dabiq, IS has reportedly claimed that it won’t be long before Kashmir is run over by the organisation. (As if we didn’t have too many woes already!)

Banter apart, how does one react to such a statement? Ideally it should have been dismissed as hyperbole — much in the tradition of fustian rants of the Ghazi, Yelgar-i-Hind variety — that usually emanates from such enterprises. 

However the media has gotten badly addicted to sensationalism. We acquiesce into the rhetorical flourish of anyone who sounds threatening (more so if it is Daesh — the new-age head-loppers). In no time it grabs headlines.

It shouldn’t have. The claims were apparently attributed to some self-styled ’emir of Khorasan’ (notice the emphasis on rank). If anything this self-styled obsession with paramountcy makes it all the more ludicrous (how does the appellation work, one would ask?)

Not only is it an outlandish statement, it is said purely for impact and shock value. In simple words while no place in the world — in the present day and age — is truly immune to random acts of terror, to imply that ISIS’s terror Inc will simply extend to Kashmir lacks any concrete basis. 

Not surprisingly the report — despite the hype it generated in sections of the media — was played down by saner voices. Reacting to the statement, Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Geelani noted the chances of Islamic State expanding its operations to the valley were “almost zero”.

The hype — ISIS is coming — is greatly exaggerated. It plays on our fears, some of which may be justified in the wake of IS savagery in the lands that it inhabits. However dire it may sound, the threat is impractical in the following three fundamental ways.

IS has been able to sustain and spread in parts of Syria and Iraq owing to the general power vacuum in these countries, following war (Iraq) and an uprising (Syria), amidst a slew of other reasons, but primarily due to a sense of disempowerment felt by several Sunni belts within the two countries that share a congruous border. 

No such vacuum or support exists in Kashmir, where an indigenous struggle has been ongoing for the last seven decades (Quit Kashmir Movement, Right to Self Determination, Plebiscite Front etc). It culminated in an armed insurgency in 1989 – actively abetted by Pakistan.

No militant organization worth its salt can exist in Kashmir without any backing/support of the establishment in Pakistan (read: the army). The IS claim is laughable in parts because it seeks to claim that it shall attempt to spread in Kashmir minus Pakistan and its assets, which is — in plain terms — not practical. 

Even the US — with all its military sophistication — required the active support of local/regional entities to help/assist it (Northern Alliance and Shiite Iraqi National Congress etc) when it invaded Afghanistan and Iraq respectively. 

IS has no widespread ideological base in the valley. It is a bogeyman that blends a very austere form of Islamic piety and modern social-media platforms to sell its propaganda – usually graphic videos of beheadings. 

A majority of Kashmiris, on the contrary, want a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue, with India and Pakistan, as the two main parties to the dispute and Kashmiris having a major stake in any final agreement – as the principal party.

Since we are in the midst of the rumor season, one just hopes that there are no serious takers of the IS claim. Just like Skylab, America’s first manned space station, didn’t crash in Kashmir in 1979, let us just expect this new monster doesn’t hurtle toward our good old vale. 

Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now

MONTHLY	Rs 100
YEARLY	Rs 1000
LIFETIME	Rs 10000

CLICK FOR DETAILS