Civilian deaths bad, but terror-backers must pay
Weeks ago, when Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat warned that the Armed Forces would treat civilians who disrupt anti-terror operations as overground members of terror outfits, he faced criticism for hitting the nail on the head. There were some who thought it was just bluster. But on Tuesday the Army showed it meant business when it fired upon a mob of civilians in Kashmir's Budgam region trying to shield a terrorist. The death of civilians is unfortunate, but these people ought to have known that their act of coming in the way of the soldiers' combat duties is nothing but anti-national. It endangers not just their lives but also that of thousands of civilians in the region and beyond who are and can be targets of terrorist attacks. local villagers had pelted stones at the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force personnel when the latter were engaged in flushing out a suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist holed up inside a house. The terrorist was firing at the security personnel and the forces were putting into motion a strategy to neutralise him, if they could not capture him alive.
This is when the local people gathered at the spot — despite being told repeatedly to keep away from the encounter place — and began to stone the security men. Such conduct is unpardonable and had to be dealt in a stringent fashion. For far too long, our security forces have tolerated disruptive and anti-national behaviour by a section of the populace, in the belief that they must avoid training their guns at their own people. There is, however, a limit to patience. The ‘own people' term is fine so long as these people are appreciative of the dangers the terrorists pose not just to innocent people in the region but also to the sovereignty and integrity of the country. They cannot be called ‘own' if they team up with the militants or obstruct the Armed Forces from nabbing or shooting down such terrorists. No country takes such shocking conduct lying down. The protestors achieved nothing in the end. The terrorist was gunned down in a eight-hour long operation. Sections of the population can have genuine grievances against the Central and the State administrations, but there are democratic ways to get them addressed. They cannot be spared for teaming up with the nation’s enemies.
Neither the Mehbooba Mufti regime in the State nor the Union Government has rejected efforts to address genuine grievances of the people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir, and particularly of Kashmir valley. But those who pelt stones and help out terrorists are not looking for real solutions; they are paid or indoctrinated agents of enemies of the nation who direct from across the border. Even more alarming is the information pouring in, that the disruptionists backed solidly by those such as the Hurriyat Conference, who in turn are patronised and perhaps funded by the likes of Pakistan Army and that country's Inter-Services Intelligence, are seeking to promote a hardline Islamist agenda in the valley. The Sufi strand of Jammu & Kashmir is already under strain, and the return of Kashmiri Pandits is being objected to by elements that do not wish to ‘dilute' a demographic profile they have carefully and ruthlessly engineered over the decades. The Islamist project must be nipped in the bud.