Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir started in the year 1989. Although, poor governance and failure of state machinery lay at the root of the Initial disaffection, Pakistan more than played an its part in converting the latter into a full fledged Insurgency. Some terrorist groups in Kashmir supported complete Independence, whereas others were seeking accession to Pakistan. ISI has been continuously supporting, supplying arms and training terrorists to operate in Jammu and Kashmir.
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In 2015, former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf admitted that Pakistan had supported and trained terrorists in the 1990s to be infiltrated into the valley. Since the beginning of terrorism more than 50,000 people have lost their lives which includes Security personnel, civilians and terrorists. The terror violence caused extensive damage to private and public property, with large number of people, particularly minority Hindus, being forced to migrate from the valley. Even foreign tourists were not spared, Terrorist posed a serious threat to Aviation Security as they resorted to hijacking. Terrorists showed total disregard even for the lives of civilians. Even the attacks on vital installation have continued unabated. In addition, grass root political workers have also continuously been targeted by the terrorists.
If you destroy Schools, you destroy Sanity. If you blow up bridges, you demolish the bridges of amity and fraternity. This is what terrorists have done in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990s. The gun and grenade crazy militants set ablaze and blew up more than 700 school buildings and 350 bridges during last 30 years. They believed that by destroying the government buildings they would secure an overthrow of the state administration and hence have destroyed 1150 government buildings till date. The dance of arson and destruction was not confined to the Government property only. Those civilians who had toiled and spent there last penny in building houses were targeted. Terrorists destroyed house and shops of the people belonging to both the majority and the minority communities. In early 1990s, terrorist went on a rampage and destroyed more than 5000 houses, shops and other civilians structures.
Terrorists have carried out frequent attacks on Security Forces convoys and their camps. They have carried out many fidayeen attacks which resulted into killing of Security personnel and also involved in lobbying grenade. Many attacks had been carried out on convoys, security camps and pickets. Six western tourists were kidnapped by the terrorists from the liddawat area of Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on 04 July 1995. The Six victims included two British tourists, two Americans, a German and a Norwegian. One victim managed to escape and rest all five of them were brutally killed by terrorists.
Terrorists in the year 1997 killed seven Kashmiri Hindu Villagers in Sangrampora village of Budgam district. This was the first of series of massacres which selectively targeted minorities in Jammu and Kashmir. The victims were led away, lined up and then shot by terrorists.
Terrorists on 25 January 1998 killed 26 Kashmiri Hindus in the town of Wandhama (Small town near Gandiban). Several Gunmen belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen killed 26 people which included four children and nine women.
Chittisinghpura massacre refers to the mass murder of 35 Villagers of the Sikh community that was carried out on 20 march 2000 in Anantnag district. Wearing Indian army fatigues, the killers arrived in the village in two groups at separate ends of the village where two Gurudwaras were located, where the villagers had been celebrating the hola mahalla festival. They ordered them to line up in front of the Gurudwara and opened fire, killing 35 people. The massacre was a turning point in the terrorism in Kashmir, where Sikhs had usually been spared from militant violence, five days later Indian army killed all the terrorists involved in this heinous crime.
In one of the most brutal attacks in the history, terrorist killed at least 89 people and injured 62 people in five different coordinated attacks in Anantnag and Doda district. 32 people were killed on 2 August 2000 at Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, dead included 21 Hindu Pilgrims, 8 local Muslim shopkeepers and 3 security officers. The pilgrims were on their way to Amarnath caves shrine, many of those killed were local Bakarwal gurjjar Muslim men and porters hired to ferry the pilgrims.
Pakistan supported terrorists carried out a series of attacks in the first week of October 2021 in which Kashmiris belonging to minority communities and non-locals were targeted. The targets included a 70 years old Srinagar based Kashmiri Pandit, a non-local street vendor, a school principal and teacher from minority community to name a few.
The Situation in J&K over the last few years has improved considerably thus symbolising a return to normalcy. Intense operations conducted by security forces have resulted in a stable situations that is conducive to undertaking developmental activities by the local government machinery. The terrorists have suffered heavy attrition (particularly the apex leadership) and simultaneously have not been able to replenish their dwindling cadres due to the effectiveness of the counter infiltration measures. This has led to a sharp decline in the violence inflicted by terrorists. However regular incidents of Human Rights violations and terror acts by the militants operating in the valley still remains a major cause of concern and needs to be exposed at international arena.
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