Why the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will impact Kashmir

New Delhi, Dec 26: Asserting that India should adopt a "clear-cut roadmap" to tackle the Kashmir issue, former DGP of Jammu & Kashmir K Rajendra Kumar has said the US pulling out troops from Afghanistan will have implications in the Valley and militant outfits may feel emboldened.

Kumar was delivering the Lalitaditya Memorial Lecture in Pune, organised by Sarhad organisation. During his speech, he also said that there is a need to send a stern message to Pakistan for its support to militancy.

"A stern message needs to be sent to Pakistan in terms of retaliation. We need to make it more costly for Pakistan because today Pakistan is not feeling the pinch it should feel," said Kumar.

He said India should deal strongly with Pakistan as far as training camps and militant launchpads are concerned.

"Now USA is existing Afghanistan. It has its implications in Kashmir. It is a matter of time that we will be feeling its implications in the Valley. After the US withdrawal, the terrorists organisations would feel pumped up, emboldened," he said.

Seeing America's withdrawal as a "sign of victory", militant outfits can feel that New Delhi can also be defeated, so there is an urgent need for India to adopt a "clear-cut roadmap" to deal with militancy in Kashmir, he asserted.

The US is planning to withdraw 7,000 troops from Afghanistan. The American troops contribute to training and advising local forces fighting the Taliban and the Islamic State group.

Underling Pakistan's active role in spreading militancy in the Valley, the former IPS officer said Pakistan is not only sponsoring militancy but also sending its nationals to Kashmir in the garb of fighting jihad.

"No matter which government is in power, Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorism in the Valley," he said.

He said militancy in Kashmir started with local militant organisations but now it is tilting towards Islamic extremism.

"The Valley has a rich history of Sufism but over the years it has moved towards Wahabism," he said, adding that efforts should be made to take Kashmir back to Sufism.
Suggesting measures, he said the state needs stringent laws to deal with anti-national forces, a concrete policy to encourage youths to give up militancy.

The surrender policy must ensure that youth who give up militancy are gainfully employed and discouraged from returning to the menace, he said. He also called for political outreach and empowerment of the civil society.

He said social media has played a destructive role in inciting sentiments of the youth.

(With agency inputs)