The onset of summer in Kashmir also brings with it unwanted visitors to the valley- the season has been notorious for the rise in infiltrations. The summer of 2018 doesn’t look to be any different. With the snow melting come gun-wielding terrorists from across the border. Bent upon radicalizing the mindset of the Kashmiri youth, and with determination to hamper growth and progress on our side of the border, these people have been trying to get local support for ages. Their goal has been to attract the youth with false tales of riches and power, alienating them from the prosperity they could have enjoyed through education and business. They also seek to portray a monstrous image of our country to the world. There is nothing new in what has been said here, till now. This story has repeated itself year after year in an exhausting and monotonous pattern.
But this year turned out to be different, and for the greater good, things started going south in Shopian, Anantnag and other areas of southern Kashmir.
Beginning with the 4th of March incident in the Shopian district of Kashmir, which resulted in the death of 2 Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorists along with the loss of 4 civilians suspected to be working undercover for the same outfit, March has seen a lot of terrorist blood flow freely in the valley. This was followed by encounters on the 12th, 20th and 21st of March, which led to the killings of more terrorists. But it was not the end of the story. Encounters and confrontations continued to happen frequently during the month, with terrorists resorting to attacks on police personnel and their family members on March 29th, leaving the wife of a policeman critically injured. An answer needed to be given, a bold one and in the same language that terrorists understand.
And the answer was given on the 1st of April, in 3 separate encounters conducted by the Indian Army in different parts of southern Kashmir, killing 11 terrorists and capturing 1 alive. All of them were locals. 2 of them have been identified as being involved in the murder of Lt. Umar Fayaz last year. 7 of the aforementioned 11 were killed in the Dragad area of the Sugan village in Shopian by the combined efforts of CRPF, Rashtriya Rifles and Zainpora police after an intense gun-battle between the security personnel and the terrorists.
The second encounter, leading to the death of 3 terrorists happened in Kachdoora village in Shopian. The 3rd encounter happened in the Dialgam area of the Anantnag district, which resulted in the death of 1 terrorist while another was caught alive. This proves that the Indian Armed Forces, backed by the Central Government’s decision to end insurgency in the valley, are in no mood to relent.
The strength and network of terrorist outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen is at an all time low. With the Kashmiri youth turning away from terrorism, the time is ripe and Indian Security Forces are ready to strike. What will follow these events will be noteworthy. Will the insurgency crisis end? Will humanity and ‘Kashmiriyat’ survive, or will the alleged presence of 215 terrorists in the valley lead to even more of these encounters? The answer to these questions will be found in the months to come. The Indian forces are ready, the government and the Indian public have their back, and sooner or later we will find a solution.