The emergence of a new face of terror three years ago hardly raised any eyebrow at that time but the coming up of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), not an offshoot of the notorious Pakistan agency ISI, may at that time looked a distant happening taking place in Middle East but today with the frequency the outfit flags whether genuine or fake are being raised alongwith Pakistani flag is little disturbing with questions being raised; is Kashmir being Islamised through terror? A three-year old outfit ISIS has made its intention very clear of a global ambition and Kashmir is clear on its focus. Howsoever we may reject such a move but it looks as a reality that emergence of ISIS in Jammu and Kashmir would add up to the security problems. It clearly shows India is the next target of global Jihadi machinery. Add to this the surfacing of al-Qaida video last year specifically extolling Jihad in Kashmir in the name of another militant outfit Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It is perhaps for the first time Kashmir has been specifically targeted. It is imperative that the reality dawns on our policy makers in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in New Delhi as early as possible and are able to understand the spread and implication of such an ideology gripping Kashmir in particular. India has to refocus its anti-terror and froegin policies to devise new strategy to protect its citizens and assets abroad as well as with in the country. The change must begin as early as possible and any delay on this front could have far reaching ramifications. There should be some contingency plans to counter such a situation, already given the volatile and turbulent phase the state of Jammu and Kashmir has seen and again the fear of spreading tentacles of Islamic terror is little disturbing with time to time demand for revoking Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) raised by various political parties and their leaders. With Americans withdrawing from Afghanistan, the spillover of terror to Kashmir has dangerous consequences.
