Target jammu

Today even as Advani has become the Deputy Prime Minister terror has spread to every district of Jammu region including Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur and has finally pierced through the state8217;s winter capital of Jammu itself. During the last 100 days, militants have killed 72 people in Jammu city alone. The latest carnage struck at Rajiv Nagar where militants gunned down 28 people on July 13.

On May 14 morning, three militants in Army combat dress boarded a Himachal roadways bus on the National Highway at Vijaypur. On reaching Kaluchak, they asked the bus driver to stop outside an Army unit. As the latter responded, the men suddenly opened fire, killing seven passengers and injuring several others. Before a guard at the main gate of a nearby Army unit could respond militants killed him and entered the residential quarters, killing another 26 and injuring scores of others.

Militant violence in Jammu city is not new. Attempts to terrorise have been made by militants since 1993, when a notorious criminal turned militant, Kaka Hussain, resorted to firing on some Vaishno Devi pilgrims. What is new is the intensity of violence. About 72 civilians including women and children have been killed and over 80 injured in two recent incidents alone.

Why is Jammu becoming the new target by militants? Several reasons:

1 The isolation of militants in the Valley

According to Ved Bhasin, Chairman of the Kashmir Times Group of Newspapers, isolation in the Valley has made militants refocus their attention towards Jammu. In 1989-90, the Azadi movement had indigenous roots in the Valley. As a result, militants had mass support. With time, even those parties who used to support militants have begun saying that gun is no solution to Kashmir. With dwindling mass support militants have become isolated in the Valley, explains Bhasin.

2 Social demographics. A more proportionate mix of Hindus-Muslims compared to the Valley

Unlike the general impression that Jammu is predominantly Hindu, the region has a two-thirds and one-third mix of Hindus and Muslims respectively. For instance, with a total population of over 44 lakh, the Jammu region has nearly 15 lakh Muslims, 10 lakh of which belong to the nomadic Gujjar and Bakerwal communities. Jammu city, which has a population of nearly 15 lakh had nearly two lakh Muslims.

8216;8216;The terror in Jammu has more dangerous potentialities than the Valley, as any act of violence here is bound to perpetuate the communal divide between the two communities8217;8217;, says Bhasin.

3 Collapse of militancy in the Valley has led to a spurt in Jammu

Balraj Puri, chairman of the state unit of People8217;s Union for Civil Liberties, argues that the political leadership of the Valley has been in constant touch with international diplomats who have told them to avoid guns. 8216;8216;Today the role of the gun in the Valley is over, with even the Hizbul divided over the issue,8217;8217; adds Puri. But Jammu provides the militants a fertile ground. 8216;8216;As very few Kashmiris are joining militancy these days, the militant outfits are dominated by Muslims from Pakistan8217;s Punjab province or PoK, says Puri.

4 Language affinity

Pointing out that these militants from Pakistan8217;s Punjab or PoK can be easily identified in the Valley in view of their having little knowledge about Kashmiri language, Puri says that this is not the case in Jammu where they can easily mingle with locals who speak the same language, Punjabi or Urdu.

5 President Musharraf8217;s attempt to delink Kashmir from militancy

The militants want to show that they can operate in Hindu-dominated areas as well, Bhasin adds.

6 Issue of trifurcation of the state as the trigger

The ongoing debate on greater autonomy and trifurcation has triggered the communal divide. While autonomy demand scare the Hindus, Muslims are worried over the RSS proposal for trifurcation, says Puri. Such demands have created a wedge between both the communities and militants target such a communal divide.

8216;8216;It is going to be a difficult situation till the Assembly elections in the state,8217;8217; said Inspector General of Police for the Jammu range, P L Gupta. The militants will try to raise the level of violence in Jammu in view of the Amarnath Yatra, he added. Apart from this, periodic killings at the hands of militants may also lead to migration of Hindus from Jammu, he added.

Whatever may be the reasons for the fresh spurt in violence in Jammu city, it has certainly added new dimensions to the over 12-year long militancy in the state. Initially, militants had confined their activities to Kashmir Valley alone and they were using the twin border districts of Rajouri-Poonch only as their transit route. However, after establishing their network in the Valley, militants spread their activities from Valley to the adjoining Doda district and made their presence felt by killing 16 people at Sarthal Kishtwar on August 14, 1993.

Thereafter, they spread their activities to Udhampur, Rajouri and Poonch district. Today when Rajouri-Poonch have become volatile and filled with security forces, the militants have started concentrating on Jammu city.