'Kashmir an unfinished agenda': What does the Pakistan General mean?

Kashmir is an unfinished agenda, Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif said yesterday. Is it just a statement that Pakistan has been making since time immemorial or is it a war cry given by the General to lift the sagging morale of the fidayeens in Kashmir?

Interestingly, the statement by General Sharif comes in at a time when the Indian Intelligence Bureau officials have reported 30 spotters in Kashmir who are on a recruitment spree. Spotters are appointed by terrorist outfit to identify youth who can join the outfit. [Kashmir unfinished agenda of Partition, says Pak Army chief Raheel Sharif]

Reading into General Sharif's statement:

The past couple of months have seen a lot of incidents taking place in Jammu and Kashmir. The separatists have upped their ante and the waving of Pakistan flags in Kashmir has become a regular sighting.

The last couple of weeks have seen aggression from terrorist groups who have blown up mobile towers. The terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen had blown up several towers in an attempt to cut off communication.

The timing of General Sharif's comments are interesting. With no provocation what so ever he raked up the Kashmir issue. The statement, "unfinished agenda," is even more interesting. Indian Intelligence agencies say that there is only one meaning to all this. While deciphering the statement it appears to be a war cry to terrorist groups to go hard on the Kashmir issue, officers would point out.

Recruitment drive begins:

General Sharif's statements are not just aimed at the militants in Paksitan. It is also a signal to several residents of Kashmir who have gradually moved away from the militants of Pakistan after realizing that the dream of an independent Kashmir would not be achieved.

The general's statement strangely coincides with the Indian agencies finding that there are several spotters who have come into the Valley on a recruitment drive. The spotters have been chatting up with the local youth and the separatists with an intention of boosting up the numbers for terrorist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The intention of these spotters is not just to rope in youth into terrorist outfits. They want a large number of youth to come out on the streets and stage continued protests so that there is no peace and calm, IB officials say.

Do not let the government settle down:

With this renewed war cry being sounded by General Sharif, there are also attempts being made to ensure that the BJP-PDP government does not settle down. The government which is aiming at improving infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir is regularly being dragged back due to conflicts in the state.

Pakistan based militant groups and the separatists are likely to up the ante in Kashmir and ensure that there is not a single day of peace. This automatically puts the government on the back-foot. The spotters and the separatists are found speaking to the youth and create a mass movement in Jammu and Kashmir against the Indian government.

All is not well in Kashmir:

The Lashkar and the other groups which are interested in Kashmir have been complaining about the lack of action. Many terrorists have accused the Pakistan government of not taking a stand on the Kashmir issue. There is also resounding disgruntlement among the cadres who feel that the Kashmir issue is only being spoken about for political purposes.

This has led to groups such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban becoming stronger and the Pakistan establishment fears that members of its proxy groups may just join them. In order to keep groups such as the Lashkar united and ensure that its members do not join the Tehrik-e-Taliban the Pakistan army has found the need to rake up the Kashmir issue in a big way.

Kashmir continues to be the most emotive issue in Pakistan and only if terror groups are permitted to unleash violence every now and then will they be happy. The timing of General Sharif's statements comment is very crucial IB officials say.