Fresh spell of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir
(1)
In 23 Police districts in J&K, only 3 SPs have operational background
◆ PR, political clout take precedence over merit in Police transfers and appointments
◆ No mainstream politician contests the separatists politically
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
______
SRINAGAR, Aug 18: When in 2003-04, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed appointed arguably the best of the “operational” SPs as District Police chief in his home district of Anantnag, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari said: “Sir, there can’t be two Ashiqs in Anantnag”. The younger Ashiq was a prominent commander of Hizbul Mujahideen---believed to have developed intimate relationship with some PDP leaders. “OK, you have your way”, Chief Minister is said to have retorted to the SP. Next couple of weeks witnessed the dreaded militant die in an encounter. It was followed by a chain of operations. By the time Mufti’s successor Ghulam Nabi Azad shifted Bukhari to Budgam, Anantnag and its adjoining areas had been completely cleared of the armed insurgency.
Call it irony or paradox, Mufti’s second tenure 10 years later appears to be a total contrast. In Awantipora, SP Mohammad Irshad is apparently disoriented to plan and execute counterterrorist operations as he has been prematurely shifted from Budgam and dumped in the State’s smallest Police district where he held the same post a decade ago. Consequently, the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba militant Irshad Ganai is calling the shots. In a short span of time---partly in Omar Abdullah’s and partly in Mufti Sayeed’s regime---two modules of LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen have set up so formidable a base in Pulwama-Awantipora belt that it is assuming all the trappings of a “liberated zone”.
This inspite of the fact that headquarters of Army’s counterterrorist Victor Force division is located at Awantipora.
LeT’s commanders like Irshad and Hamza, alongwith the Pakistanis Abu Qasim and Abu Dujana, have established a seemingly impregnable bastion in close vicinity of Awantipora. In rest of the district, Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan has grown as a household name while expanding his organisation with remarkable local recruitment and engaging the security forces in high profile encounters. For the first time, Burhan and his boys are openly operating through Internet---YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etcetera.
Significantly, these summer months last year, entire South Kashmir, including Pulwama and Awantipora, was a hub of the mainstream political activity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s large size hoardings besides BJP’s banners, buntings and flags remained intact for over two months even as the ruling party at the Centre had little fertile ground in the Valley’s saffron zone. PDP, NC and Congress conducted hundreds of well-attended rallies before the Valley witnessed arguably the best held and the least controversial Assembly elections.
Nothing of it is imaginable today. The only massive congregations happen on occasion of Eid and the funeral of a militant killed by security forces. According to Police intelligence reports, over 8,000 people participated in the Namaaz-e-Janazah of Talib Shah, a local militant who died in an encounter with Army at Kakpora on August 6. Again, notwithstanding undeclared curfew, thousands attended a civilian’s funeral who died in a clash with BSF. The paramilitary force opened fire when the residents near Malangpora resorted to heavy stone pelting after the operation at Kakpora concluded.
The second---and so far the last---hub of the year 2015 militancy is in Sopore, in North Kashmir. Here again, SP Qayyum appears to have surrendered considerable ground to the dreaded guerrilla commander Qayyum Najar. Najar’s group has grown so much confident that it had the spine to take direct confrontation with Hizbul Mujahideen supremo and United Jihad Council Chairman Syed Salahuddin. Operating from Pakistance since 1993, Salahuddin has finally announced Qayyum Najar’s expulsion from Hizbul Mujahideen with the allegation that he was behind the series of attacks on the mobile telephony operators. At least 5 persons have died in these guerrilla strikes in the last two months.
Sopore’s parent Police district of Baramulla witnessed appointment of SPs who were known for their political clout, not an operational background. During the NC-Congress government of Omar Abdullah, two of the Cabinet Ministers, namely Taj Mohiuddin and Ghulam Hassan Mir, opposed the proposal of the appointment of an SP in Baramulla on the ground that he belonged to “a particular sect”. The proposal was shelved notwithstanding the fact that the proposed officer was next only to Bukhari in the operational profile and he enjoyed the Chief Minister’s confidence and support. He was dumped in the areas anybody could have handled.
Consequently, a non-operational SP was appointed twice as District Police chief in Baramulla simply for his “merit” of having been a friend and class fellow to then J&K Pradesh Congress Committee head Saifuddin Soz’s son.
Today, out of the 25 Police districts, which include the militancy-free Leh and Kargil, there are only three SPs who have the background of counterterrorist operations or a past stint in Special Operations Group (SOG). They are the much demoralised Mohammad Irshad in Awantipora and Ghulam Jeelani in Handwara besides Dr Haseeb Mughal in Rajouri.
“Even two of them in Valley do not work hard on counterterrorism front. Every time, there remains the apprehension of a civilian casualty in an operation. Once it happens, nobody is expected to come to the Police officers’ rescue. They are left to fend for themselves. There are inquiries, suspensions, attachments and even arrests. Why should anybody take such a risk?” said an officer who has extensive experience of counterterrorist operations. “The result is that the militancy is gaining its lost ground fast”, he added. According to him, SPs and Dy SPs of SOG background were first removed to insignificant positions by Omar Abdullah ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Many more were removed when Governor ordered a major reshuffle in Police and bureaucracy in January 2015. Rest of them were removed by Mufti’s government.
[To be continued tomorrow. Published in today's STATE TIMES http://news.statetimes.in/fresh-spell-of-militancy-in-jammu-kashmir-1-in-23-police-districts-only-2-sps-have-operational-background-in-jammu-Kashmir/ ]
(1)
In 23 Police districts in J&K, only 3 SPs have operational background
◆ PR, political clout take precedence over merit in Police transfers and appointments
◆ No mainstream politician contests the separatists politically
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
______
SRINAGAR, Aug 18: When in 2003-04, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed appointed arguably the best of the “operational” SPs as District Police chief in his home district of Anantnag, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari said: “Sir, there can’t be two Ashiqs in Anantnag”. The younger Ashiq was a prominent commander of Hizbul Mujahideen---believed to have developed intimate relationship with some PDP leaders. “OK, you have your way”, Chief Minister is said to have retorted to the SP. Next couple of weeks witnessed the dreaded militant die in an encounter. It was followed by a chain of operations. By the time Mufti’s successor Ghulam Nabi Azad shifted Bukhari to Budgam, Anantnag and its adjoining areas had been completely cleared of the armed insurgency.
Call it irony or paradox, Mufti’s second tenure 10 years later appears to be a total contrast. In Awantipora, SP Mohammad Irshad is apparently disoriented to plan and execute counterterrorist operations as he has been prematurely shifted from Budgam and dumped in the State’s smallest Police district where he held the same post a decade ago. Consequently, the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba militant Irshad Ganai is calling the shots. In a short span of time---partly in Omar Abdullah’s and partly in Mufti Sayeed’s regime---two modules of LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen have set up so formidable a base in Pulwama-Awantipora belt that it is assuming all the trappings of a “liberated zone”.
This inspite of the fact that headquarters of Army’s counterterrorist Victor Force division is located at Awantipora.
LeT’s commanders like Irshad and Hamza, alongwith the Pakistanis Abu Qasim and Abu Dujana, have established a seemingly impregnable bastion in close vicinity of Awantipora. In rest of the district, Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan has grown as a household name while expanding his organisation with remarkable local recruitment and engaging the security forces in high profile encounters. For the first time, Burhan and his boys are openly operating through Internet---YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etcetera.
Significantly, these summer months last year, entire South Kashmir, including Pulwama and Awantipora, was a hub of the mainstream political activity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s large size hoardings besides BJP’s banners, buntings and flags remained intact for over two months even as the ruling party at the Centre had little fertile ground in the Valley’s saffron zone. PDP, NC and Congress conducted hundreds of well-attended rallies before the Valley witnessed arguably the best held and the least controversial Assembly elections.
Nothing of it is imaginable today. The only massive congregations happen on occasion of Eid and the funeral of a militant killed by security forces. According to Police intelligence reports, over 8,000 people participated in the Namaaz-e-Janazah of Talib Shah, a local militant who died in an encounter with Army at Kakpora on August 6. Again, notwithstanding undeclared curfew, thousands attended a civilian’s funeral who died in a clash with BSF. The paramilitary force opened fire when the residents near Malangpora resorted to heavy stone pelting after the operation at Kakpora concluded.
The second---and so far the last---hub of the year 2015 militancy is in Sopore, in North Kashmir. Here again, SP Qayyum appears to have surrendered considerable ground to the dreaded guerrilla commander Qayyum Najar. Najar’s group has grown so much confident that it had the spine to take direct confrontation with Hizbul Mujahideen supremo and United Jihad Council Chairman Syed Salahuddin. Operating from Pakistance since 1993, Salahuddin has finally announced Qayyum Najar’s expulsion from Hizbul Mujahideen with the allegation that he was behind the series of attacks on the mobile telephony operators. At least 5 persons have died in these guerrilla strikes in the last two months.
Sopore’s parent Police district of Baramulla witnessed appointment of SPs who were known for their political clout, not an operational background. During the NC-Congress government of Omar Abdullah, two of the Cabinet Ministers, namely Taj Mohiuddin and Ghulam Hassan Mir, opposed the proposal of the appointment of an SP in Baramulla on the ground that he belonged to “a particular sect”. The proposal was shelved notwithstanding the fact that the proposed officer was next only to Bukhari in the operational profile and he enjoyed the Chief Minister’s confidence and support. He was dumped in the areas anybody could have handled.
Consequently, a non-operational SP was appointed twice as District Police chief in Baramulla simply for his “merit” of having been a friend and class fellow to then J&K Pradesh Congress Committee head Saifuddin Soz’s son.
Today, out of the 25 Police districts, which include the militancy-free Leh and Kargil, there are only three SPs who have the background of counterterrorist operations or a past stint in Special Operations Group (SOG). They are the much demoralised Mohammad Irshad in Awantipora and Ghulam Jeelani in Handwara besides Dr Haseeb Mughal in Rajouri.
“Even two of them in Valley do not work hard on counterterrorism front. Every time, there remains the apprehension of a civilian casualty in an operation. Once it happens, nobody is expected to come to the Police officers’ rescue. They are left to fend for themselves. There are inquiries, suspensions, attachments and even arrests. Why should anybody take such a risk?” said an officer who has extensive experience of counterterrorist operations. “The result is that the militancy is gaining its lost ground fast”, he added. According to him, SPs and Dy SPs of SOG background were first removed to insignificant positions by Omar Abdullah ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Many more were removed when Governor ordered a major reshuffle in Police and bureaucracy in January 2015. Rest of them were removed by Mufti’s government.
[To be continued tomorrow. Published in today's STATE TIMES http://news.statetimes.in/fresh-spell-of-militancy-in-jammu-kashmir-1-in-23-police-districts-only-2-sps-have-operational-background-in-jammu-Kashmir/ ]
END
No comments:
Post a Comment