It’s the time that bigger game plan of Pakistan should be understood at multiple levels to devise an appropriate response accordingly. Jammu cannot and should not be allowed to become hostage to the sinister games that Pakistan is playing with the region which has a history of withstanding all such machinations in the past.
In a week’s time, Pakistan trained and well-equipped terrorists after devastating Kathua terror attack, martyring five soldiers, engaged security forces, martyring four jawans, including an officer, Captain Brijesh Thapa in Dessa area of mountainous Doda district. This is both intolerable and unacceptable.
Pakistan thinks that it can go ahead with its plot of attacking Indian army and get away with it. This thought must have stemmed from the series of attacks terrorists have made on the soldiers, first in Rajouri and Poonch, then in Reasi and between July 8 and July 15 in Kathua and Doda districts. It sums up the expanse that the terrorists have covered in the past four weeks. All these attacks serve a chilling reminder that Pakistan wants to achieve multiple objectives by focusing on Jammu region’s hilly areas.
NEWS ANALYSIS
Jammu has been a heaven of peace all these years, where people, the unpaid and without uniforms, have worked with the security forces to thwart all plans of the enemies of nation and peace. Jammu is anchor of peace and normalcy that has come to Kashmir in the past five years since the abrogation of Article 370. So, Pakistan has all the reasons to strike in Jammu areas to deal a severe blow to the idea of peace in the whole of J&K. It’s a misnomer that Kashmir would remain untouched by the fallout of these terror assaults. A peaceful Jammu is imperative for peace in J&K. The fallout would be in terms of perception. A tourism-rich Kashmir is the Unique Selling Point of the government and other agencies to convince the world that after the removal of all-time discriminatory Article 370 has brought a sea change in the situation.
As the situation is developing in Jammu, one after another attack and gun battles, in which soldiers suffer casualties; it requires some fundamental changes with respect to attitude and approach towards Pakistan. At the moment Pakistan has lulled into a comfort zone that martyrdom of soldiers in fours-fives will not attract any retaliation at a large scale like surgical strike of 2016 or aerial strikes at Balakot of 2019. This is a serious situation for India. The response has to be more than adequate and for that the armed forces will have to work harder. This is also something incumbent on the civilian government to chalk out strategy to alienate the elements sympathetic to terrorists and break the ecosystem that helps terrorism to sustain itself.
In the first place, Unified Command, also known as Unified Headquarters should be strengthened. It should meet on regular basis to discuss all inputs about the situation and work accordingly. Unfortunately, the command meets only after some major incident takes place, and when Union Home Minister visits J&K. It should be developed as a 24×7 institution.
The human intelligence has come down. The intelligence should not be incident-driven exercise, it has and should be a daily affair, as J&K is in the eye of Pakistan round-the-clock. Forces from across the border continue to plan the mischief without caring for putting their own house in order. The local intelligence is the best way to neutralize Pakistani designs. The local people know importance and necessity of peace. They should be encouraged to share their inputs with the forces so that timely action could be taken against terrorists who come from across to kill. Their designs of bloodshed should be nipped in bud. That can happen only when the local human intelligence is available in plenty.
Pakistan’s game should be exposed. There is a history to what Pakistan has done to Jammu and Kashmir since 1947. It is aware that Jammu has never sided with it, so it wants to avenge region’s indifference and hostility to Pakistani designs in J&K.
There is need to revisit the strategy and things should be made hot for Pakistan by cutting short lives of terrorist and their local facilitators. The death of terrorists and terrorism is life for the people who want to live in peace. Jammu is in need of peace and for that it is mandatory that Pakistan’s games are thwarted on 24×7 basis.
