Good Strategy

 

EVEN as the Election Commission gears up to hold first-ever legislative election in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) after the abrogation of its Special Status, enough evidence is available to believe that enough care is being taken to ensure that terrorist elements in the Kashmir region are kept at bay -- not just in Kashmir but also elsewhere in the country. The Delhi Police recently busted an Al-Qaeda terror module operating in three States of Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh -- indicating that the Security and Intelligence agencies are actively engaged in search operations all over the country. This care is the need of the moment so as to ensure not just free and fair but also safe elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

What is at stake in Kashmir is not just peaceful conduct of elections but also issue a strong message to terror masterminds across the border that their machinations would not work and India’s democratic system would remain undisturbed. And the only way India has officially adopted to counter terrorism is to beat it at its own game through smart counter-action. The official thought is clear: If an ambush happens, enter a gun-battle and drive it to the elimination of the terrorists -- at any cost (including the lives of Indian brave-hearts). In the parallel, as the security doctrine goes, keep up the vigil internally so that every possible terror module is defeated before it actually becomes operational -- as can be seen from the arrests of 11 persons from the terror module operating in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. When the Special Status was withdrawn from Kashmir, detractors of the move felt sure that Kashmir would be drowned in terrorism. Nothing of that sort happened, no matter the fact a few terror strikes did take place and the Security Forces did defeat all those -- for whatever cost. There may still take place a few terror strikes in Kashmir, and the Security Forces would counter those successfully. But those few strikes would not establish the detractor claim that terrorism is on the rise in Kashmir. Much to the contrary, there is enough evidence emerging from Kashmir to state that terrorism has been on the wane, thanks to the intervention there (ensuring liquidation of many a terrorist). So strong has the counter been that the terror masterminds appear to have received a clear message that their attempts to destabilise Kashmir during elections would be an impossible proposition.

 

This message is the signature of the success of India’s current counter-terrorism measures in recent -- post 2019 -- years. Not just the Security Forces but also the overall administrative machinery are the sole owners of India’s great success in counter-terrorism measures. That is the reason why there is not much noise within the country and outside across the border about the tough measures the government has adopted to counter the evil of terrorism. Some terror strikes did take place, all right, but the nation felt secure and unaffected by the propaganda point that some elements in the Opposition often tried to exploit negatively. This overall political silence -- inside and outside the country -- is the good sign of India’s successful counter-terrorism strategy. In the past five years since the abrogation of Special Status in Kashmir, the Government has acted tough on terror, and has given the administration a free hand empowering its various arms. The result is obvious -- terrorism has lost its thunder as far as Kashmir is concerned. In fact, this was possibly the only outcome the Government worked for for all these times. Without fuss, it acted smartly against terror, and won -- a situation that Kashmir witnessed only rarely.