kashmir terrorism

8/7/2019 Kashmir Terrorism

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Kashmir Terrorism: Origin and Growthby Dr. S.K. Raina

Broadly speaking, when justice and right are denied to a person over a longer period of time,the person is left with two options: bear the situation patiently, or the reaction is anguish, and

that reaction, in the process culminates into terrorism. Besides other things, spreading ofcommunal hatred, religious frenzy, separatist tendency etc. are the tools which terroristsgenerally use. Guns too are used to achieve the so-called specified mission. Fanaticism,extremism, radicalism, separatism, militancy, activism etc. are its other names ormanifestations.

This is one side of the picture of terrorism. (Terrorists fighting for a genuine cause i.e. liberatingthemselves, their society/country from the oppressor/ perpetrator).

Another side of the picture is disgusting and questionable.

Over the years terrorism has emerged as a systematic use or threatened use of violence tointimidate a population, community or government and thereby effect political, religious orideological change just to achieve personal gains. Modern terrorism has resorted to other optionof intimidation, i.e. influence the mass media, in an effort to amplify and broadcast feelings ofintense fear and anger among the people. Needless to mention here that acts of terror arecarried out by people who are indoctrinated to the extent of following a strategy of dying to kill.They are the ones who have become pawns in the hands of their masters who direct theirpaths, sitting in the comforts of far off places with all the facilities available to them. Mastershave their vested political interests while as pawns seemingly have nothing to gain except sufferfor a cause about which they themselves dont know or know very little.Terrorism in Kashmir is almost 18 years old now and has likeness to the second side of thepicture. It has a history long enough to be traced from the date when partition was forcedresulting in the emergence of two nations - India and Pakistan - after the sub-continent freeditself from the colonial rule of the British Empire. It may not be out of context here to probe intothe consequences in detail that gave rise to terrorism in Kashmir. But again, before that, givinga brief introduction of this widely known beautiful valley would be too apt.

Kashmir Paradise on Earth (Switzerland of Asia) Natures grand finale of beauty is amasterpiece of earths creation of charm and loveliness. Famous for its beauty and naturalscenery throughout the world and for its high snow-clad mountains, scenic spots, beautifulvalleys, rivers with ice-cold water, attractive lakes and springs and ever-green fields, denseforests and beautiful health resorts, enhance its grandeur and are a source of great attractionfor tourists. It is also widely known for its different kinds of agricultural products, fruit,vegetables, saffron, herbs, and minerals, precious stones handicrafts like woolen carpets,shawls and finest kind of embroidery on clothes. During summer, one can enjoy the beauty ofnature, trout fishing, big and small game hunting etc.; during winter climbing mountain peaksand sports like skating and skiing on snow slopes are commonly enjoyed. In addition to theabove, Pilgrimage to famous religious shrines of the Hindus and the Muslims make Kashmir agreat tourist attraction. About Kashmir Sheikh Sadie a great Persian poet is believed to havesaid, If there is any heaven on earth, it is here in Kashmir, in Kashmir in Kashmir only.


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Apart from natural beauty, Jammu and Kashmir has a unique cultural blend which makes itdifferent from the rest of the country (India). It is not only distinct in cultural forms and heritage,but in geographical, demographical, ethnical, social entities, forming a distinct spectrum ofdiversity. The people of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh, all follow diverse religion, language andculture, but continuously intermingling which symbolizes Indian Unity amidst diversity. Itsdifferent cultural forms like art and architecture, fair and festivals, rites and rituals, seers and

sagas, languages and literatures, embedded in ageless period of history, speak of endless unityand diversity with unparalleled cultural cohesion and amicability. Kashmir has been a greatcentre of learning. A treasure of rich Sanskrit literature is to be found here. Early Indo-Aryaniccivilization has originated and flourished in this land. It has also been embracing point of adventof Islam bringing its traditions of Persian civilization, tolerance, brotherhood and sacrifice.

After the British withdrew from the Indian subcontinent in 1947 and India and Pakistan emergedas two separate countries, princely states were given an option to choose the country theywanted to stay on. Obviously, the states falling geographically within had no other option but tomerge with the country they were situated. Border states like Kashmir, Jodhpur etc. took time tocome out with their firm decisions probably because they wanted to enjoy the status of anindependent Statehood.

In the case of Kashmir, where Maharaja (King) Hari Singh was the ruler, situation worsenedconsiderably. Territorial disputes over Kashmir had already started brewing Pakistan claimingthat Kashmir should go to his side since Muslims were in majority there. Apprehending thatMaharaja might opt for an accession to India, Pakistan prepared for an aggression in a bid tocapture the State forcibly hoping that masses, mainly Muslims, would support its mission butthat didnt happen. Secular forces headed by the then popular mass leader Sheikh Mohammad

Abdullah fondly known as Sher-i-Kashmirmotivated the Kashmiri people (Hindus, Muslims andSikhs) to rise to the occasion and stand united to counter and frustrate the evil designs of theenemy who was marching to the capital city Srinagar indulging in bloodshed and mayhem.

A new slogan echoed the entire valley: Hamlavar khabardaar, hum Kashmiri hai tayaar Hindu

Muslim Sikh Ithaad, Naya Kashmir Zindabaad Beware you attackers! We Kashmiris are readyto counter you Long live the Unity of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs!!

At Hazuri Bagh, Srinagar before a large crowd on October 1, 1947, Sher-i-Kashmir proclaimed:Till the last drop of my blood, I will not believe in two-nation theory. It was a rebuff to Mr.Jinnah-father of the nation of Pakistan who was watching the developments so closely from hiscountry side. Finding their designs on Kashmir not fructifying, Pakistan rulers launched anarmed attack on Jammu and Kashmir to annex it. Tribes in thousands along with Pak regulartroops entered the State on October 22, 1947 from several points and indulged in loot, arson,rape, bloodshed and mayhem. Bowing before the wishes of the people and seeing his ownregular army being out-numbered and to push back the invaders, the Maharaja signed theInstrument of Accession in favor of India on October 26, 1947 on the prescribed terms and

conditions. This was accepted by the Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten the nextday. The Instrument of Accession executed by Maharaja Hari Singh was the same which wassigned by other rulers of the other princely States. Similarly, the acceptance of the Instrument of

Accession by the Governor General was also identical in respect of all such instruments.

With J&K becoming legal and constitutional part of Union of India, Indian army rushed to theState to push back the invaders and vacate aggression from the territory of the State. The firstbatch of Indian Army troops arrived at Srinagar airport immediately after the Accession was


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signed. On October 30, 1947 an Emergency Government was formed in the State with SheikhMohammad Abdullah as its head. The Army fought sustained battle with the tribals/Kabayiliesand after several sacrifices pushed them out of the Valley and other areas in the Jammu region.(EarlierBrigadier Rajendra Singh Chief of State Forces with a small number of soldiers at hisdisposal fought valiantly with the enemy and laid down his life in the process.)

Meanwhile, the people of Kashmir under the towering leadership of Sher-I-Kashmir weremobilized and they resisted the marching columns of the enemy. Till the arrival of India troops, itwas mainly the Muslim volunteers under the command of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah whobraved death to push back invaders. While the army pushed back the invaders, there wereseveral instances where people put up a gallant resistance and stopped the advancinginvaders. The most glaring examples of peoples resistance were the martyrdom of MohammadMaqbool Sherwani and Master Abdul Aziz both staunch followers of Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh

Abdullah.Sherwani did not oblige the invaders when they enquired from him the route to Srinagar.Instead, he put them on a wrong track gaining time for troops to reach Srinagar from New Delhi.Somehow the tribesmen came to know about his tactics and nailed him at a Baramulla crossing

and asked him to raise pro-Pakistan slogans. He did raise slogans but these were different.These were pro-Hindu-Muslim unity and in favor of Sher-i-Kashmir. Enraged by this, theruthless tribesmen emptied their guns on him.

The sacrifice of Master Abdul Aziz too was exemplary. The invaders who raped the nuns andwanted other non-Muslim women to be handed over to them, Master Abdul Aziz, a tailor byprofession, held the holy Quran in his hand and said that they can touch the women only afterthey pass over his dead body and the holy Quran. The brutal killers did not spare him either.

On January 1, 1948 India took up the issue of Pak aggression in Jammu and Kashmir to UNOunder Article 35 of its Charter. The Government of India in its letter to the Security Council said,Such a situation now exists between India and Pakistan owing to the aid which invaders,consisting of nationals of Pakistan and tribesmen are drawing from Pakistan for operationsagainst Jammu and Kashmir, a State which has acceded legally to the Dominion of India and is

part of India. The Government of India requests the Security Council to call upon Pakistan to putan end immediately to the giving of such assistance which is an act of aggression against India.If Pakistan does not do so, the Government of India may be compelled, in self defense, to enterinto Pakistan territory to take military action against the invaders.

After long debates, cease-fire came into operation on the midnight of January 1, 1949.Eventually, India filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, which established the UnitedNations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP). Pakistan was accused of invading theregion, and was asked to withdraw its forces from Jammu & Kashmir. The UNCIP also passed aresolution stating: The question of accession of the state of Jammu & Kashmir to India orPakistan will be decided through the democratic method of free and impartial plebiscite .However, this could not take place because Pakistan did not comply with the UN resolution andrefused to withdraw from the State. The international community failed to play a decisive role inthe matter saying that Jammu & Kashmir is a disputed territory.

In 1949, with the intervention of the United Nations, India and Pakistan defined a ceasefire line(Line of Control) that divided the two countries. This has left Kashmir a divided and disturbedterritory up till now.


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In September 1951, free and fair elections, as per the Constitutional modalities, were held inJammu & Kashmir, and National Conference party under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullahcame into power. With the advent of the Constituent Assembly of the State of Jammu & Kashmirrepresenting the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the State became an integralpart of India constitutionally. After Sheikh Abdullah; Bakshi Gulam Mohamad, G.M.Sadiq, MirQasim,Gul Shah, Mufti Sayed and Dr.Farooq Abdullah ruled the State as Chief Ministers.

Mr.Gulam Nabi Azad is the current Chief Minister of the J&K State.

Though the governments ran smoothly over the years, continued instigations and arousingreligious frenzy by Pakistan did not stop. The year 1965 saw a war between India and Pakistanclaiming many lives on either side. A cease-fire was established and the two countries signedan agreement at Tashkent (Uzbekistan) in 1966, pledging to end the dispute by peacefulmeans. Five years later, the two again went to war that resulted in the creation ofBangladesh.

Another accord was signed in 1972 between the two Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi andZulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Simla. AfterBhutto was executed in 1979, the Kashmir issue once againflared up.During the 1980s, massive infiltrations from Pakistan were detected in the region, and India has

since then maintained a strong military presence in Jammu & Kashmir to check thesemovements along the cease-fire line. India says that Pakistan has been stirring up violence in itspart of Kashmir by training and funding Islamic guerrillas that have waged a separatist warsince 1989 killing tens of thousands of people. Pakistan has always denied the charge, calling itan indigenous freedom struggle.

In 1999, intense fighting ensued between the infiltrators and the Indian army in the Kargil areaof the western part of the state, which lasted for more than two months. The battle ended withIndia managing to reclaim most of the area on its side that had been seized by the infiltrators.

In 2001, Pakistan-backed terrorists waged violent attacks on the Kashmir Assembly and theIndian Parliament in New Delhi. This has resulted in a war-like situation between the twocountries, with Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf asking his army to be fullyprepared and capable of defeating all challenges, and the then Indian Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee saying, We dont want war but war is being thrust upon us, and we will have to faceit.

Plight of Pandits (Hindus)

The Pandits, who are the Hindu community of Kashmir and have an ancient and a proudculture, have been amongst the most afflicted victims of the Pakistani-supported campaign ofterrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Their roots in the Kashmir Valley run very deep. They are theoriginal inhabitants of this beautiful valley. Their number being small and peace-loving by

nature, they have been the soft targets of terrorists. Virtually the entire population of 300,000Kashmiri Pandits have been forced to leave their ancestral homes and property. Threatenedwith violence and intimidation by Muslim fundamentalists, they have been turned into refugeesin their own country leaving behind their shops, farms, cattle and age-old memories.

As a matter of fact, Jammu and Kashmir has become a target of Pakistan, sponsored byreligion-based terrorism. The persecution by Muslim extremists of the Hindu minority and thesystematic religion-based extremism of terrorist elements has resulted in the exodus of theseHindu/Pandits and other minorities from the Kashmir Valley to other parts of India.


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Fundamentalists and terrorists have also targeted and assassinated Muslim intellectuals andliberal Muslim leaders too, who spoke of Hindu-Muslim unity and brotherhood. Terrorist acts byKashmiri militant groups have also taken place outside Jammu and Kashmir.

India claims most of the separatist militant groups are based in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir (also known as Azad Kashmir). Some like the All Parties Hurriyat

Conference and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), demand an independentKashmir. Other groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed favor a Pakistani-Kashmir. Of the larger militant groups, the Hizbul Mujahideen, a militant organization is based inPakistan administered Kashmir. Sources reveal that Al-Qaeda too has a base in PakistaniKashmir and helping to ferment terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

India is unwilling to lose even one additional inch of his land. New Delhi is also concerned thatKashmiri autonomy would set a precedent for breakaway movements in other Indian states(e.g., Punjab or Assam). To Pakistan, Kashmir is symbolic of its national ethos and commitmentto protect Muslim interests against Indian encroachment. It believes that the creation of aseparate, strongly sectarian nation is incomplete without contiguous Kashmir. In brief, Kashmiris a target of externally sponsored religion-based terrorism. The aim is to divide people on the

basis of sectarian affiliation and undermine/weaken the secular fabric and territorial integrity ofIndia.

However, now with the passage of time, the passion of the Jehad/movement which once hadthe mass public support has started declining since it has turned out to be a movement run bythose who are more interested in their own personal gains. Confusion within the separatistgroups too has weakened the movement. The hard liners led by Jamat-e-Islami advocate totalmerger of Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan whereas the soft liners led by J.K.L.F (Jammuand Kashmir Liberation Front) stands for total independence of J&K. This has given rise to atotally confusing and conflicting situation resulting in disillusionment, disarray and disinterest ofthe common man in Kashmir who has suffered a lot for the past 18 years and is not prepared tosuffer any more.

Dr. S.K. RainaWriter and translator of long standing. Winner of several academic awards. Formerly Fellow at IndianInstitute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla India.

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