Deal with the crisis of confidence too

During peak of militancy in Kashmir, Jammu was a stress-busting region. The people from the Valley visited Jammu to destress themselves. It offered to them a fear-free atmosphere- cinema theatre, night life and freedom to move. And whosoever could afford it, bought a piece of land, or a house, in and around Jammu city. It was a comfort zone for Kashmir as also for Delhi. Jammu served as a region which Delhi used to project as an alternate reality to the turbulences in Kashmir, to underline that the whole of the state was not disturbed. Delhi also facilitated visits of the foreign delegations and UN officials to showcase normalcy in the state and at the same time to showcase Kashmiri Pandits living in tents as victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir.

There was other side to the story, too.; the whole region was declared as Disturbed Area and armed forces were given the shield of Armed Forces Special Powers Act in 2001, however 20 km radius from LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts fell in this category since July 1990 along with the whole of the Kashmir Valley.

Now Jammu region is being tagged as a national problem as a series of terror attacks, killing soldiers and officers have rattled the region. This phenomenon has been more troubling since June 9, the day Modi 3.0 era began with an attack on pilgrims’ bus in Reasi district. The pilgrims were from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, part of the Hindi heartland of the country. Nine were killed and 40 others were wounded in this attack.

Thereafter, the attacks have been mostly on soldiers – and the most shocking were in the mountainous belt of Kathua on July 8 and Dessa in Doda on July 15. One officer and eight soldiers were killed in these terror attacks, which have been attributed to the fresh crop of infiltrators from across the border- international border and Line of Control. Obviously Pakistan hand is too big in it to be ignored. But a question also stares at us, is it possible for the foreign terrorists to operate, attack and become untraceable without the support of the local elements. The answer is no. But why No. It is not any lack of effort on the part of the security forces but due to the terrain and the local support the terrorists get in the areas where they strike.

Some of the military analysts have reflected on two things; one, that big successes were achieved after certain counter-terrorism operations, in which the backbone of terrorism was broken paving way for peace that made the military to reduce its strength and deployment in the areas. There was a logic behind it, why should forces be deployed on permanent basis when there was peace. Peace was taken as a natural consequence of the anti-terrorism operations.

The second part of such analysis is that it had become imperative to shift the troops to China border in eastern Ladakh where China created a very hostile situation at Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. What happened at Galwan valley on June 15/16, when 20 of Indian soldiers were killed in brutal clashes with Chinese troops. The stone-age weapons, rocks, nail studded clubs were used. The Chinese did not use fire arms, but what they did use were far worse than guns and bullets. The border had to be secured; keep Chinese in check. The result was that gaps appeared in the military deployments in the region. So Pakistan got the opportunity to send terrorists to this side of the border or LoC to cause this mayhem.

Although Jammu region was free of the high-octane militancy in 1990s and early 2000s, but it was not immune to the terror attacks. A series of terror attacks, some of them were quite gruesome - massacres of the minority community in Udhampur (now that is part of Reasi district), Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban are still etched in the nightmarish memory of the people. Jammu’s temples, railway station and public places too were attacked. Pakistan had always wanted Jammu to figure on the terror map because that would have served its interests in projecting the whole of Jammu and Kashmir as a troubled region. It never called terrorists as terrorists. It called them as “warriors”, and never admitted to the cross-border terrorism of which it was a fountainhead. The dynamics of that era of terrorism were different. Pakistan wanted to club the two regions (Ladakh, in any case was free of terror activities) of Kashmir and Jammu as the troubled places because of what it portrayed as “struggle for right to self-determination.”

Today, a clear line is being drawn. Kashmir valley is being projected as a haven of peace, where tourists are visiting in hordes and the normal life is back to the era when Kashmir was really peaceful. Two regions have been juxtaposed – one where normalcy and peace reigns after more than three-decades of violence, and the other where terrorism has returned with a big shadow of guns and killings, especially on the army. Times have changed. The comfort zone has been perforated with bullets, and the troubled zone of yesteryear is new peace zone. It’s good that Kashmir is where it is today, though at some point in time it would become necessary for the men who matter to think that optics have a limited life unless strenuous efforts are summoned to fill the gaps between the optics and the reality. The reality needs firm indicators and parameters backed by the emotional connect.

Now why Jammu region’s mountainous areas are under attack, so to say. There is no simple answer to it. The reliance on methods of counter-terrorism for delivering peace serve limited purpose. Peace needs something more. The confidence of the people has to be won. There were gaps there too. After the successful counter-terrorism operations, which eliminated terrorists and their network, the relief that was delivered to the people should have been consolidated. It was not the job of the army   alone. The civil administration and the government should have come forward to fill the gaps. The communication of the successive governments till date is to bask under the achievements made by the army,  shirked their duties to listen to the public and address issues. There are numerous projects in Rajouri-Poonch hanging fire for decades, and the people are wooed only at the time of elections or at the times of official functions.

These are realities of the places like Rajouri and Poonch from where the terror onslaught restarted in 2021, but the rest of Jammu region is a pathetic story of betrayed promises. There is a deep resentment over the issues and the way the region is humiliated time and again. Yes, these are strong words. Jammu region, everyone acknowledges, is a hub of nationalism. But when it comes to paying attention and care , there are excuses or the men at helm of affairs turn their back. It is decades-old phenomenon. It has borne many hardships and suffered, but despite that it has stood as a rock against terrorism and its residents welcomed each and every one from Kashmir to PoJK with open arms, shared their bread and butter. In return, it did not ask for extraordinary rewards but respect for its aspirations.

Jammu is not a geographical entity. It is a vibrant region , full of the people  who understand national and regional dynamics and more than willing to sacrifice their interests for the nation. The terror attacks have a genesis. Study them carefully, strike where it is necessary but don’t allow it to become a hostage to the narratives that have lost relevance. Political parties have a responsibility, both national and regional parties. They must work together to save Jammu and shun their attitude in moving to cool climes to show their presence and, for regional parties, Jammu is not a frill case. Certain leaders make their hate for the region too obvious whether they are in power or out of it.

Some national parties’ leaders indulge in name calling to push a particular narrative to please masters by deliberately ignoring the historical fact that political workers sacrificed their lives to keep the Indian flag flying in Kashmir even in the worst of times. Reason and rationality should prevail over irrationality and polarization stoking narratives and actions.