The security agencies have always had a tough job on hand as they have to play within the rules when fighting terrorists
The unanimous resolution that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed on Monday condemning the terrorist attack in Pahalgam forms part of the consistent flow of reports about the people of Jammu and Kashmir voicing their protest against terrorism and hence should form the main plank of India’s response to the terror infrastructure and network.
Elected members of the Assembly pointed out that there is a notable shift in the attitude of the people and it reflected a broader change in the thinking of the region’s majority community. It also signalled a departure from the past when their responses were often constrained or overshadowed by separatist sentiments. As chief minister Omar Abdullah pointed out, there is a message that the Kashmiris want to send out in relation to terrorism and that is, not in our name. The people of Kashmir revolted against terrorism for the first time, and it marks the beginning of the end of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
This makes the responsibility of the security agencies and the Government of India that much bigger. Their primary task will be to keep the people on their side in the fight against terrorists and their efforts to edismantle their network. It gives Indian agencies a chance to demonstrate to the people of Kashmir that the terrorists do harm their interests, not advance them.
There are reports of destroying of homes of the people accused of committing the horrendous acts in Pahalgam. This will hardly help the fight against terrorism. As CPI(M) member Md Yousuf Tarigami pointed out in the Assembly, harassment of ordinary Kashmiris, random and indiscriminate arrests, home demolitions and other aggressive acts will only undermine the shift in public sentiment.
The security agencies have always had a tough job on hand as they have to play within the rules when fighting terrorists. But the advantage this time is that they enjoy the full confidence of the people. How to make use of this is up to them, however. Their win will be a great win for the people of India and a milestone in the global fight against terrorism.
