Message from Chamba

Fragile. This in sum describes the situation now prevailing in the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir. But the canker of murderous militan...

Fragile. This in sum describes the situation now prevailing in the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir. But the canker of murderous militant assault on ordinary, unsuspecting people is spreading beyond the boundaries of that state. The massacre of 35 people in two separate incidents at Kalaban and Satrundi in Himachal Pradesh8217;s Chamba district on Monday provided eloquent and worrying 8212; evidence of this.

Himachal Pradesh had thus far remained relatively immune to the growing violence that its immediate neighbour, Jamp;K, has been witness to. Two early morning strikes, one on sleeping labourers who had been hired to build the Barugarh-Bangu road, and another on a motley group of villagers, including a local constable, changed all this decisively. The cowardliness and cruelty of these acts must not be allowed to disguise the deadly intent behind them.

The message that emanated from Chamba is clear and the nation can ignore it only at its peril 8212; militants will continue to strike, not just in Jamp;K but elsewheretoo.

The situation warrants extraordinary attention, given the escalation of tension along the Line of Control in the Poonch, Uri, Tangdar, Gurez and Jabzakwab sectors. What is becoming clearer by the day is that the general problem of terrorist activity in the entire northern region of the country cannot be divorced from the situation prevailing in Jamp;K. The primary task for the Union Home Minister is to set things right in that state. This is easier said than done. Every day brings its share of tragedies in Jamp;K. For instance, on Tuesday, while a grenade hurled at a passing army vehicle exploded in Srinagar8217;s busy Lal Chowk area injuring seven bystanders, another 19 people died when two rival militant groups exchanged fire in a village in the Jammu region. To add to this, the chief minister of the state seems to be perpetually vacationing 8212; even when he is not in London, as he is at the moment. It8217;s time that the writ of an elected government is re-established in the state, rather than that of rag-taggroups of trigger-happy goons, with or without instruction from Pakistan.

The BJP government in Himachal Pradesh had said that it is willing to join hands with that of Jamp;K to mount combing and patrolling operations in both states. Such measures are certainly called for, but they will inevitably prove infructuous without security concerns in Jamp;K being addressed first. The Home Minister characterises the situation prevailing in Jamp;K and Himachal Pradesh as a 8220;proxy war8221; which, he says, will be 8220;crushed8221;. But proxy wars of this kind cannot be won just by sending in more and more reinforcements of armed personnel. If such battles are to be truly won, attempts will also have to be made to win the confidence of the local communities in these areas. People here must feel that they have a stake in peace. If this isn8217;t ensured, it would be ridiculously easy for militants to make bases for themselves, not just in Jamp;K, but in other regions of the country, and strike at will.