A major security threat looms large in Kashmir Valley even as some parts of Srinagar continued to be tense and under curfew for the second consecutive day.
Security forces have received Intelligence inputs about large scale violence, including stone pelting and terrorist-initiated incidents, in the run up to the May 7 polls in Baramulla and ladakh. Security forces, including the Army and paramilitary, are redrawing their strategy to deal with possible surge in infiltration next week from across the line of Control (loC), officials said here on Friday.
Violence following a young man’s death in firing by security forces after the April 30 polls in the old city had led to imposition of curfew and sources said the Valley may see instances of instigated stone pelting “this weekend” itself.
The Jammu & Kashmir Government on Friday ordered a magisterial enquiry into the death of the youth, Bashir Ahmad, 24, with the Srinagar District Magistrate Farooq Ahmad Shah appointed as enquiry officer. He has been asked to submit his report along with recommendations within 15 days, State Government officials said in Srinagar.
Due to restrictions, mid-day prayers were not held in Srinagar’s Grand Mosque where separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivers weekly sermons on religious and contemporary political issues. The continuation of curfew triggered a spontaneous shutdown in other parts of the city and several towns in the countryside. A clash broke out in uptown Hyderpora locality after locals staged demonstrations against the arrest of a resident. Incidents of stone-pelting were also reported from Batamaloo.
As for infiltration threats, radio intercepts and ground Intelligence indicated that at least 50 launch pads across Baramulla and Kupwara were active with 10 to 12 well-armed militants in each pad ready to sneak in and attack politicians and villagers to deter them from voting.
Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla are three parliamentary constituencies in North Kashmir. Polling was held in Srinagar and Anantnag on April 30 and April 24 respectively. While Srinagar registered 26 per cent polling, about 28 per cent polling was recorded in Anantnag. “Militants want to bring down the voter turnout even further in the May 7 polls by engineering incidents,” they said.
Sources said most of the launch pads were located in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) facing North Kashmir. Increased activity by militants was noticed in the pads located in lipa Valley in POK facing Tangdhar and Naugam and Neelam Valley opposite Keran sector in Kupwara.
Coupled with this possibility, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire along the loC in South Kashmir more than twice last week in a bid to push in militants. These two incidents took place in Poonch sector and security forces fear some militants may have come in during the gunfight and they will try to cross the Pir Panjal mountain ranges to enter Srinagar valley. If they manage to do so, the coming days will see more unrest in the summer capital of the State. However, efforts were on to neutralise them before they reach the Valley, officials said.
The loC has already seen more than 20 ceasefire violations this year and the coming months will see more such incidents as the Pakistan Army and ISI is determined to push in as many terrorists as possible. These militants will try to disrupt the ongoing lok Sabha polls and set up bases in the State to trigger more incidents during the Assembly polls scheduled for October, they said.
The State, at present in undergoing five-phase parliamentary polls with voting passing off peacefully in Jammu and Udhampur. However, Anantnag witnessed violence and more paramilitary forces were deployed after a schoolteacher was killed and security personnel were injured in an attack by militants.
Incidentally, a fierce gunfight between a joint team of security forces and heavily armed militants in Shopian, 50 km from Srinagar on April 26 saw one Major and one armyman getting killed besides two militants.
Multiple strikes by militants targetting sarpanches and poll officials kept the security grid on tenterhooks ahead of polling day in Srinagar and now Baramulla. In fact, selective killing of a sarpanch on April 17 in Awantipora and later in Tral area of Pulwama on April 21 created panic and forced people to stay indoors during polling day on April 24 in Anantnag.