As US is finally negotiating some settlement in Taliban after about two decades of war, It will certainly impact the future course of struggle in Kashmir and in wake of taking over of Taliban like suicide attacks.
In response to Mehmood Ur Rashid’s article “Has the giant finally woken up”
Apropos an article, “Has the giant finally woken up” that appeared in Feb 16 issue of Greater Kashmir newspaper. The write up touched upon various diverse & historical perspectives of Kashmir imbroglio but has related it to the recent development of US-Taliban negotiating settlement in Afghanistan after about 2 decades of war. The author has cited the recent terror attack on Srinagar-Jammu highway as waking of a giant and has also indicated how dangerously the Kashmir is placed on a cliff. This correlation of US afghan peace process and terror exposition of Kashmir to much more dangerous attacking situation in future is in a sense the initiation of 2nd intifada in Kashmir after the ist uprising that started in Kashmir in 1989. This sense of infliction and development that came after this attack makes one to think that is it the start of new sensation of terror in Kashmir against atrocities inflicted by India upon Kashmiri people. Having a relook at the recent intense negotiations with the Taliban, the chief U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilza that core elements of a deal to end the U.S. counterinsurgency operation in Afghanistan have been basically agreed. The disclosed core elements are not surprising. The Taliban promises Afghanistan’s territory will not be used by international terrorist groups and the United States agrees to withdraw its forces. This thing came to fore after the decades of war torn situation in Afghanistan and US acceptance that it has turned to be costly one for them than to benefit them in any of capacities. Yet there are various other questions that need to be answered after the US-Taliban settlement talks and what message it has left for Kashmir after the later took Taliban mode of suicide attacks against armed establishment in Kashmir.
Kashmir has gone through similar fate as has Afghanistan in the past more than a decade now. The US invasion of Afghanistan has given birth to some deadliest of episodes that happened and took the humanity by a storm. This negative development reshaped itself in Kashmir to backstab Indian establishment so to come on the negotiating table as Afghanistan made US to think of. It looks imperative that India will have to relook at its Kashmir policy for a lasting solution in wake of this development of start of Taliban like suicide attacks. It was never thought of such types of attacks will happen in Kashmir and of that the attack will be caretaked by a local Jaish recruit on the similar pattern as in Afghanistan. Indian policy makers will certainly be thinking of some out of box strategy to combat such incidents in the future if they are keep their grip tightly held. Diverting again towards the US-Taliban negotiations for a viable and possible settlement in Afghanistan. This recent peace talks sends this message over boarders to Kashmir that India will have to come on the negotiating table in the near future as the trend has changed from bad to worse. Time is gone now when Kashmiri’s were fearing the tyranny of armed establishment but they have left from those fear curtains that could have led them to live pseudo-peacefully. They have recognized if not all, but somehow, that they have to show ultimate resistance and fearless attitude as Taliban showed to US to let the Indian establishment take a second route of peaceful settlement if not in near future. The Lethpora attack has shivered the whole Indian sub-continent and are fearing of a possible start of 2nd Intifada in Kashmir after 1989, a more extremist in nature and a more violent one. As local Kashmiri has accomplishment this feat of carrying suicide attack on CRPF, the first one in the history of armed insurgency in Kashmir, more and more local resistant’s will take a cue from this attack and will come forward to further glorify their passion of struggle against counter-insurgents. This thing will pinch the immediate pseudo-consciousness of Indian policy maker’s and will give them sleepless nights. As it was never thought of but as it is, will more force comes more resistance and will every resistance, it leads to new strategies to counter the immediate plans of predators. They will be thinking of this taking over of Taliban pattern attacks in the future as well. Amid these developments in Kashmir, better late than never, the big minds over there will certainly think of some possible counter measure to curb this trend of suicide attacks, if they are to held this crown for some more time. But with this thing in mind, that more Adil’s are ready to deliver in the future, they will tighten this gap further to not let the situation get out of control. Already some measures have been taken in the aftermath of Lethpora attach to dilute this trend of suicide bombing, but it will require them something really stringently sensitive and intelligently backed up to change this already exhumed situation in Kashmir. Before anything worst happens for both of these opposite ideologies, It is time to take a cue from US settlement of Taliban after president Trump declared the war as too costly that has taken them both money and lives but has given them nothing in return. On the similar pattern, India is bound to think of some negotiations in Kashmir to prevent the possible exigency of communal clashes in Kashmir, Jammu and as well in India. The recent attack is testimony to the fact that more such attacks in future will erupt the situation for bad as it leads to communal disturbances, mob lynching’s and damage of worth crores in wake of market clampdown and curfew calls. It is time now to change the theme of “Operation all-out to Operation resolution”.
Hope good time prevails.
Sheikh Umar Ahmad is freelance journalist & DST INSPIRE FELLOW, currently pursuing PhD in Biotechnologyfrom CSIR – Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine Jammu.
