Elections Are Scheduled To Be Held In the Valley in Dec-Jan
Main Points:
Kashmir Tigers carried out against police personnel in J-K on Monday killing 3 cops.
Kashmir Tigers are reportedly a wing of Jaish-e-Mohammad of Pakistan.
Earlier terrorists had carried out attack on the police in Bandipora.
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By New Age Islam Staff Writer
16 December 2021
Pak-backed disruptive elements might go all out to prevent the creation of an atmosphere conducive to the polls. File photo
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Since the polls in Jammu & Kashmir are going to be held sometime between December and January, the extremist and terrorist outfits active in the valley are out to destroy the atmosphere so that the valley cannot return to the democratic process and normalcy. The attacks on a bus carrying security personnel in the outskirts of Srinagar on Monday gives the hint of the plans of the terrorists in the valley in the coming months. In the attack, three police personnel were killed. This attack was reportedly carried out by a new terrorist outfit called Kashmir Tigers and is believed to be a wing of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad. Only a few days ago, the terrorists had attacked and gunned two police personnel in Bandipora district. This indicates the heightened activities of the terrorist elements in the valley. These attacks just before the forthcoming elections in the valley speak of the Pakistani plans. Pakistan which is in the FATF grey list because of its sponsoring of cross-border terrorism seems to have planned to disrupt the election process as it does not want normalcy return to the valley.
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The Tribune Editorial
Dec 15, 2021
The terror attack on a police bus on the outskirts of Srinagar took place on the 20th anniversary of the Parliament attack, which had rocked India months after America’s 9/11 horror. Its timing is worrisome, even more so is its sheer audacity. The bus, carrying 25 police personnel, came under fire from two-three terrorists, who managed to escape under cover of darkness. An assistant sub-inspector and two constables lost their lives in the ambush, which was reportedly carried out by little-known outfit Kashmir Tigers, believed to be a front of Jaish-e-Mohammad. The Pakistan-based Jaish was responsible for the February 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
Monday’s attack, which comes days after two cops were gunned down by terrorists in Bandipora district, has underlined that normalcy remains elusive in Jammu and Kashmir even more than two years after the abrogation of Article 370. The state-turned-UT witnessed a spate of targeted killings of civilians, including local residents and migrant workers, in October. The incidents prompted the security forces to launch several operations to eliminate terrorists. According to data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal, the annual number of civilian deaths in J&K has hovered around the 40 mark in the past three years (2019-21), while the death toll of security personnel has been witnessing a decline. However, the firing on the police bus makes it clear that the security forces cannot afford to lower their guard.
The BJP-led Union government is hinting at holding the Assembly elections in J&K next year in a bid to resume the long-delayed democratic process. Pak-backed disruptive elements might go all out to prevent the creation of an atmosphere conducive to the polls. The twin challenges for the Centre would be to curb infiltrations and deprive the terrorists of local support by initiating confidence-building measures. At the same time, New Delhi, which has been seeking greater cooperation among nations to tackle cross-border terrorism, should not miss any opportunity to call out Pakistan on international platforms.
Source: The Tribune, Chandigarh
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/pakistan-jaish-jammu-kashmir/d/125967