Kashmir’s Bloody Sunday underlines New Delhi's response to terror in full measure

The elimination of at least 13 terrorists, four civilians who tried to shield the gun-toting extremists and three Indian Army jawans on Sunday, during the course of three anti-terror operations in south Kashmir's Shopian and Anantnag districts, would be viewed by some as tragic. We, however, beg to make a distinction between the deaths. For, the deaths of the Army personnel in the line of duty were indeed tragic as too many lives of brave Indian women and men in uniform have been lost as a price for political pusillanimity over the decades. The deaths of the four civilians who tried to actively prevent the Indian Army from engaging those who have launched what they like to delude themselves into believing is an "armed struggle" against the state was unfortunate, if inevitable, given the rules of engagement in the conflict made explicitly clear by the Chief of Army Staff. The elimination of the 13 terrorists, including two who had abducted and brutally murdered Lt Ummer Fayaz in May 2017 when the Army officer was visiting his hometown Shopian to attend a wedding, is welcome. The one armed combatant who gave himself up at one of the encounter sites when the forces got his parents to appeal to him, is the only individual in the whole saga that played out on Sunday who could be genuinely be classified as a "misguided youth" which has otherwise become an omnibus term used by politicians across the ideological spectrum to shield those who bear arms against the state. Depending on this young man's past record and the seriousness of the charges against him, he could certainly be re-integrated into the mainstream and some leniency shown in the legal proceedings against him.

The above classification of a score of deaths may sound macabre and, for those unaware of the existentialist battle being waged by those who stand for Indian territorial integrity in the once happy vale of Kashmir, an unfeeling response to the death of fellow human beings. But we are afraid it is time to wake up to the harsh reality that while all human life is sacred, that of terrorists is not; they have forfeited the right to call themselves human beings. There is a reason why adjectives such as inhuman and barbaric are used to describe acts of terror. No Indian can afford to be squeamish when the perpetrators of wanton killings and much else besides are taken on in full measure by those duly authorised to do so on behalf of the sovereign which is the people of India.

As for those who raise the twin bogies of the possible impact an "escalation" could have in our neighbourhood and within the international community as well as what robust anti-terror operations would do to the prospect of a "political solution" for Kashmir, the answer is: Not much. Of course, there is a risk of some diplomatic stress with primarily GCC countries and some Western powers with China too likely to try and leverage our potential discomfiture to fit its own expansionist agenda in case of an escalation sponsored by Pakistan using their simpatico elements in the Valley. It is, however, a risk worth taking to root out armed militancy which, it should be underscored, is different from a peaceful right to dissent which every citizen of India has including those residing in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. As for the political solution bogey, once the monopoly of the state on the use of force and the right to bear arms is restored, talks certainly are the solution. But one follows the other.

Courtesy: Pioneer: Editorial: Tuesday, 03 April 2018