Militancy in Jammu and
Kashmir
December 9, 2021
Manifest pedagogy:
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the parliament
that in 1,118 militant-related incidents, a total of 269
security forces personnel have been killed in J&K in the last
three years. In this context it is prudent to know the history
and the circumstances behind the rise of militancy in Jammu
and Kashmir.
In news: Militant killed in Jammu & Kashmir’s Shopian
Placing it in syllabus: Security
Static dimensions:
Rise of Militancy in 1980’s
Reasons for the rise
Current dimensions:
Role of Pakistan
Role of Non state actors, Front organisations and OGW’S
in militancy
Developmental steps taken by Indian Government
Content:
Rise of Militancy in 1980’s:
Jammu and Kashmir, long a breeding ground of separatist
ambitions, has been wracked by the insurgency
Situation upto 1980s:
After independence from colonial rule India and Pakistan
were engaged in a war over the princely state of Jammu
and Kashmir.
At the end of the war India controlled the southern
portion of the princely state. While there were sporadic
periods of violence there was no organised insurgency
movement
During this period legislative elections in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir were first held in 1951 and Sheikh
Abdullah’s secular party stood unopposed. He was an
instrumental member in the accession of the state to
India.
However, Sheikh Abdullah would fall in and out of favour
with the central government and would often be dismissed
only to be re-appointed later on.
This was a time of political instability and power
struggle in Jammu and Kashmir, and it went through
several periods of president’s rule by the Union
Government.
Political changes after the demise of Sheikh Abdulla
After Sheikh Abdullah’s death, his son Farooq Abdullah
took over as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Farooq Abdullah eventually fell out of favour with the
Central Government and the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
had his government toppled with the help of his brother-
in-law G. M. Shah.
A year later, Abdullah reached an accord with the new
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and announced an alliance
with the Indian National Congress for the elections of
1987. The elections were allegedly rigged in favour of
Abdullah.
Rise of militancy:
In the second half of 1989 the alleged assassinations of
the Indian spies and political collaborators by the
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front was intensified.
Over six months more than a hundred officials were
killed to paralyse the government’s administrative and
intelligence apparatus.
The daughter of then interior affairs minister, Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed was kidnapped in December and four
terrorists had to be released for her release. This
event led to mass celebrations all over the valley.
Farooq Abdullah resigned in January after the
appointment of Jagmohan Malhotra as the Governor of
Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, J&K was placed under
Governor’s Rule under Article 92 of state constitution.
Under JKLF’s leadership on 21–23 January large scale
protests were organised in the Kashmir Valley.
As a response to this largely explosive situation
paramilitary units of BSF and CRPF were called. These
units were used by the government to combat Maoist
insurgency and the North-Eastern insurgency.
The challenge to them in this situation was not posed by
armed insurgents but by the stone pelters. Their
inexperience caused at least 50 casualties in Gawkadal
massacre. In this incident the underground militant
movement was transformed into a mass struggle.
To curb the situation AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers
Act) was imposed on Kashmir in September 1990 to
suppress the insurgency by giving armed forces the
powers to kill and arrest without warrant to maintain
public order.
During this time the dominant tactic involved killing of
a prominent figure in a public gathering to push forces
into action and the public prevented them from capturing
these insurgents.
This sprouting of sympathisers in Kashmir led to the
hard-line approach of the Indian army.
JKLF used distinctly Islamic themes to mobilise crowds
and justify their use of violence. They sought to
establish an Islamic democratic state where the rights
of minorities would be protected according to Quran and
Sunna and economy would be organised on the principles
of Islamic socialism
Reasons for the rise:
Islamisation of Kashmir in 1980s
During the early period of militancy in the 1980s,
multiple militant groups strive to Islamise Kashmiri
culture and political setup to create a conducive
environment for the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan.
Numerous Islamist groups were formed in early 1990 who
emerged advocating Nizam-e-Mustafa (Rule of Muhammad) as
the objective for their struggle.
Militant groups like Hizbul mujahideen and Jamaat-e-
Islami asserted that the struggle of Kashmir will
continue till Islamic Caliphate is achieved in Kashmir.
Murder of Kashmiri Hindus, Intellectuals, Liberals and
activists were described necessary to get rid of un-
Islamic elements.
Rigging of 1987 Assembly elections
The insurgency was sparked by the apparent rigging of
state elections in 1987.
Following the rise of Islamisation in the Kashmir
valley, during the 1987 state elections, various Islamic
anti-establishment groups including Jamaat-e-Islami
Kashmir were organised under a single banner named
Muslim United Front (MUF), that is largely current
Hurriyat.
MUF’s election manifesto stressed the need for a
solution to all outstanding issues according to the
Simla Agreement, work for Islamic unity and against
political interference from the centre.
Their slogan was wanting the law of the Quran in the
Assembly.
But the MUF won only four seats, even though it had
polled 31% votes in the election.
However, the elections were widely believed to be
rigged, changing the course of politics in the state.
Mujahideen influence:
After the Mujahideen victory against the Soviet Union
Occupation in Afganistan, Mujahideen fighters, under
Operation Tupac with the aid of Pakistan, slowly
infiltrated Kashmir.
The goal was to spread a Radical Islamist ideology to
Jihad against Indian occupation in Jammu and Kashmir
Accusations of Human Rights abuses:
human rights violations are said to have contributed to
the rise of resistance in Kashmir
After the insurgency started in the Kashmir Valley in
the late 1980s, Indian troops entered the Kashmir Valley
to control the insurgency.
The troops have been accused and held accountable for
several humanitarian abuses and have engaged in mass
extrajudicial killings, torture, rape and sexual abuse.
Amnesty International accused security forces of
exploiting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)
that enables them to “hold prisoners without trial”.
The insurgents have also abused human rights, driving
Kashmiri Pandits away from the Kashmir Valley, an action
regarded as ethnic cleansing.
The government’s inability to protect the people from
both its own troops and the insurgency has further
eroded support for the government.
Religious insecurities:
The majority of the people of Jammu and Kashmir practise
Islam.
Many analysts say that while India itself is a secular
state, Muslims feel they are politically, culturally and
economically marginalised when compared to Hindus in
India as a whole.
The government’s decision to transfer 99 acres of forest
land near Amarnath in the Kashmir Valley to a Hindu
organisation (for setting up temporary shelters and
facilities for Hindu pilgrims) solidified this feeling
and led to one of the largest protest rallies in Jammu
and Kashmir.
Economic reasons:
High unemployment and lack of economic opportunities in
Kashmir are also said to have intensified the struggle.
Psychological factors influencing youngsters towards
militancy:
Psychologist Waheeda Khan, explaining the rebellious
nature of the Kashmiris, says that because of the tense
situations in the valley from the 1990s, the generation
gap between parents and young generations has
increased.
Young generations tend to blame their parents for
failing to do anything about the political situation. So
they start experimenting with their own aggressive ways
to show their curbed feelings and would go against any
authority.
Also young people easily identify themselves with the
“group” rather than with their individual identities. It
leads to psychological distress which causes antisocial
behaviour and aggressive attitude.
Often, this situation is worsened by the availability of
weapons and people becoming familiar to violence after
having been exposed to conflict for so long.
Waheeda Khan remarks, the major concern is that
generations of children who are experiencing long-term
violence in their lives, may reach adulthood perceiving
that violence is a fair means of solving ethnic,
religious, or political differences
Role of Pakistan:
The Pakistani central government originally supported,
trained and armed the insurgency in Kashmir, sometimes
known as “ultras” (extremists).
The Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence has encouraged
and aided the Kashmir independence movement through an
insurgency
Due to its dispute on the legitimacy of Indian rule in
Kashmir, insurgency is used as an easy way to keep
Indian troops distracted and cause international
condemnation of India.
Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf in
Oct 2014 said during a TV interview, “We have sources
(in Kashmir) besides the (Pakistan) army…People in
Kashmir are fighting against (India). We just need to
incite them.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in their
first ever open acknowledgement in 2011 in US Court,
said that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) sponsors
terrorism in Kashmir and it oversees terrorist
separatist groups in Kashmir
In 2019, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan publicly
discouraged Pakistani people from going to Kashmir to do
a jihad. People who went to Kashmir will do an
“injustice to the Kashmiri people”.
Most of the Pakistani militants who had crossed the
border over the years and were caught by the Indian
security forces were found to belong to the Punjab
province of Pakistan
Role of Non state actors, Front organisations and OGW’S in
militancy
Numerous Islamist groups were formed in early 1990 who
emerged advocating Nizam-e-Mustafa (Rule of Muhammad) as
the objective for their struggle.
Militant groups like Hizbul mujahideen and Jamaat-e-
Islami asserted that struggle of Kashmir will continue
till Islamic Caliphate is achieved in Kashmir.
Murder of Kashmiri Hindus, Intellectuals, Liberals and
activists were described necessary to get rid of un-
Islamic elements.
Concurrently all cinema houses,beauty parlours, wine
shops, bars, video centres, use of cosmetics and similar
things were banned by militant groups.
Many militant organisations like Al baqr, People’s
league, Wahdat-e-Islam and Allah Tigers imposed
restrictions like banning cigarettes, restrictions on
Kashmiri girls
The different insurgent groups have different aims in
Kashmir. Some want complete independence from both India
and Pakistan, others want unification with Pakistan and
still others just want greater autonomy from the Indian
government
Over the last two years, the militant group, Lashkar-e-
Toiba has split into two factions: Al Mansurin and Al
Nasirin.
Another new group reported to have emerged is the “Save
Kashmir Movement”. Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (formerly known
as Harkat-ul-Ansar) and Lashkar-e-Toiba are believed to
be operating from Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir and
Muridke, Pakistan respectively.
Other less well known groups are the Freedom Force and
Farzandan-e-Milat. A smaller group, Al-Badr, has been
active in Kashmir for many years and is still believed
to be functioning.
All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an organisation that
uses moderate means to press for the rights of the
Kashmiris, is often considered as the mediator between
New Delhi and insurgent groups.
Developmental steps taken by Indian Government
The government wants to use development as tool
against the militancy in Kashmir for that it
launched several initiatives:
Udaan Scheme:
It was started with an aim to provide skill to the youth
of the valley.
The Udaan Scheme, a Special Industry Initiative (SII)
for the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), is funded by
the Ministry of Home Affairs and implemented by National
Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
Based on the recommendations of the Rangarajan
Committee, the scheme has been a major initiative of the
central government towards making the educated youth –
graduates, post-graduates and three-year diploma holders
in engineering – of J&K employable.
The scheme is now in its closure.
PM’s development package for J&K: (PMDP)
under this government focused on creating new avenues of
employment and better infrastructure in transportation,
health, renewable energy, tourism etc.
Project Himayat:
Himayat – a Skill Development Programme for the youth is
under implementation since 2011.
Himayat is a placement linked skill training programme
for unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir and is being
implemented by the Himayat Mission Management Unit, J&K
State Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKSRLM), Govt of J&K.
The Programme is an outcome of the recommendations of
Dr. C. Rangarajan Committee report submitted to the
Prime Minister in 2011. It suggested a scheme of Skill
Development for school/college dropouts.
The Report suggested increasing employability of youth
by improving their skill-sets and providing support for
placement and self-employment.
Youth will be provided free skill training for a
duration of 3 to 12 months, in a range of skills for
which there is good market demand.
At the end of the training, the youth are assured of a
job and there is one year post-placement tracking to see
how they are faring.
Project Sadhbhavana:
The Army’s Sadbhavana drive is an informal approach
mechanism for the officers and soldiers to interact with
and show genuine concern and interest in the welfare of
the local population.
Operation Sadbhavana is being carried out in all the
three divisions of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Army’s focus has been on women & youth empowerment,
providing quality education, infrastructure development,
health, veterinary care, and educational tours to
various parts of the country.
In addition basic needs like water supply schemes,
electrification and animal husbandry in far flung areas
is given a priority with projects based on participation
of the local people, elected representatives and civil
administration.
Education has been a prime intervention, with the Indian
Army establishing about 55 modern English medium
Goodwill Schools under the State Board and Central Board
of Secondary Education.
Another major intervention by the Army is in the field
of infrastructure development. In the nineties the
terrorists had destroyed culverts, bridges and power
stations to sever linkages with the national mainstream.
The Army then stepped in to construct foot bridges,
tracks to improve connectivity in rural areas,
orphanages, primary health centres, etc
Project Umeed:
A Programme under National Rural Livelihoods Mission
(NRLM) implemented by the Jammu & Kashmir State Rural
Livelihoods Society
Aims to reduce poverty in the state by building strong
grassroots institutions of the poor, engage them into
gainful livelihoods interventions and ensure appreciable
improvement in their income on a sustainable basis
To reach out to 66% of rural population across the
erstwhile 125 blocks,
Link them to sustainable livelihoods opportunities and
nurture them till they come out of poverty and enjoy a
decent quality of life.
Surrender and Rehabilitation of Militants:
Surrendering in Jammu and Kashmir has been
institutionalized over the years.
The 1990s saw some surrender policies, while in the
2000s, there was a policy for militants belonging to
Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir and another for
Pakistan administered territory.
The first surrender policy for militants in Kashmir was
launched on 15 August 1995. It was a copy of the
policies already there for Naxalites.
Militants are also motivated by security forces at
encounter sites as well.
Some attempts are successful, while others are not.
Mothers and other family members have made videos urging
their child turned militant to surrender to the security
forces.
Sometimes the family member is brought to the encounter
site and urged to talk to their children through
loudspeakers to surrender
Mould your thought:
1. Militancy in J&K is a complex political, social, and
economic problem. Examine.
Approach to the answer-
Introduction to the topic
Discuss the political roots of militancy (Indo-pak
conflict, Electoral rigging, etc)
Discuss the social roots of militancy (religious
insecurity / Rise of islamic fundamentalism etc)
Discuss the economic problems leading to militancy
(joblessness, relative underdevelopment etc)
Add the psychological issues also
Conclusion
