4 years of Modi sarkar: A lot more needed in Kashmir

Kashmir has been a point of focus for long and the Valley continues to boil. Many have questioned the logic of using force in Kashmir, but the government was of the opinion that there was no other way to tackle terrorists.

The hard liner policy of the Modi sarkar which completes four years in office was a subject matter of debate. While violence has escalated, the India Army which has been given a free hand has virtually wiped out the top brass among the terrorist ranks.

While the Modi government has managed to keep terrorism away from the mainland, there have been setbacks in the form of attacks at Pathankot, Udhampur, Uri and Nagrota.

The Pathankot attack:

In the Pathankot attack, what one must need to look at is the advance intelligence that India had. An attack despite pretty concrete intelligence in advance. It all begins with the border problem. The drug mafia operates freely along the Indo-Pak border at Punjab. It is these drug smugglers who sneak in the terrorists too. There was a complete lapse at the border and the security was caught napping.

The government was aware that this is a dangerous border and could have worked on securing it since day one. The complaint by the Punjab SP about being abducted by the terrorists should have been treated more seriously.

The problem was that at first many doubted the SP and due to this crucial time was lost. The other decision was to send in the NSG ahead of the Special Forces is also a very debatable decision considering that the former specialises in situations where there is a hostage crisis.

Crisis in the Valley:

Kashmir is on the boil and there have been a spate of incidents. Take for instance the Udhampur attack on the BSF personnel. Many would argue that the reaction was slow when it came to the problem of terrorism in Kashmir. Not every one in a terrorist organisation is an ideologically driven person.

There are many in Kashmir who have complained that slow reforms in providing employment is one of the reasons why many youth have become gullible. It is probably for the first time that we are witnessing the advent of the social media where terrorism in Kashmir is concerned.

When the young Burhan Wani an educated youth joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and posted pictures of himself on the social media, it should have been dealt with immediately. Instead it took nearly one year to wake up to the situation and in the meantime several youth had already joined.

There have been several hits and misses on the Kashmir policy. Many believe that talks are the only way forward. However the government is insistent that the Hurriyat speaks within the ambit of the Constitution. The Hurriyat is however not agreeable to that.

Even when the Government announced a cease fire in Kashmir due to Ramazan, the Hurriyat was silent. This is a clear indication that it is the Pakistan push which is forcing the Hurriyat not to come to the talks table.