J&K Assembly Elections: In the Shadow of Terror

By Deepak Parvatiyar

November 20, 2014

Terror and election boycott calls have become a norm during elections in Jammu & Kashmir. This time too, the situation is no different as the state goes to the Assembly polls in five phases from November 25. The security forces are on high alert and Pakistan yet again makes attempt to push infiltrators to disrupt the poll process in the state.

Recent Arrests of Terrorists with Arms and Ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir

Just a day after the announcement of upcoming polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the police busted an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror cell in Sopore on October 26 that was entrusted to target top leaders and disrupt the election process in the state by creating fear among the voters. They arrested eight suspected terrorists and seized five grenades, 100 AK-47 bullets and eight Under-Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGL), from them.

In an operation stretched to two days on October 28 and 29, the security forces killed three LeT operatives in the jungles of Wadarbala near Handwara. Thereafter, police arrested two suspected LeT militants in the Valley and seized three AK-47 assault rifles, 14 pistols and two wireless sets from them.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesperson of Pakistan based terror outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan – Jamaat Ahrar (believed to be inspired by the dreaded ISIS) – has threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tweeted about taking “revenge of innocent people of Kashmir and Gujarat”. The security forces are taking the threat quite seriously and are working on new security norms for the PM, who would be the BJP’s star campaigner in the state elections.

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Terrorists Increasing their Efforts to Disrupt the Poll Process in Jammu & Kashmir

Reports quoting Intelligence sources indicate the following developments:

• Likely attempts of terrorists now camping in Sialkot, to infiltrate into the Mendhar sector in Poonch district of J&K which saw heavy cross border firing just a month ago, from the Pakistan occupied side of Kashmir (PoK) to disrupt elections in the state.

• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan commander Mohammad Abdul Wali alias Umar Khalid Qureshi preparing 22 teams of six terrorists each to target Indian security forces

• The Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Hizb-ul Mujahideen stepping up their activities in south Kashmir, in Shopian, and Pulwama districts

• About 25 militants moving in three groups towards Topa Mocian, Tata Pani and Tarkundi near LoC at PoK from the Sensa militant training camp in PoK apparently to carry out “stand-off fire on Indian forces”

• The Pakistan Rangers and army plan to deploy Border Action Team across the LoC to ambush Indian forces

Pakistan Wary of Increasing Democratic Participation in J&K

Pakistan is wary of the growing participation of people of Kashmiri in elections in the state despite the boycott calls by the separatist elements. It had succeeded in stalling the poll process in the state in the past but not anymore. This comes in its way of projecting the people of Kashmiri as persecuted population and staking its claim on the state – the cause of three wars between Indian and Pakistan, and an ongoing proxy war by Islamabad.

The General Elections of this year’s summer saw a remarkable rise in voters’ turnout percentage from 39.7 per cent in 2009 to 50.1 per cent, despite the terror strikes, in the state. The 2008 state Assembly election too had seen an impressive 60.5 per cent voters’ turnout – a considerable improvement from the 44 per cent turnout in the 2002 state elections.

Besides, the J&K Legislative Council election that was held on 3rd December 2012 after a long gap of 38 years saw an unprecedented 90 per cent polling despite terror threats from Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. In all, 37 candidates were in the fray for the four MLC seats then.

The numbers of candidates in state elections are on the rise in the state. In all, 1354 candidates were in the fray in the last state Assembly elections in 2008 as against 709 candidates in the state elections of 2002.

Similarly, unlike in the past, more and more voters in the state are now ignoring the poll boycott calls by the separatists and showing their willingness to brave out the militants’ threat as they consider elections to be the only way of fulfilling their aspirations.

Growing marginalisation of Pak-backed Hurriyat Conference

Of late, many separatist leaders too are joining the mainstream and participating in elections. While Jammat-e-Islami activists came out to vote in favour of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party despite the boycott call in 2008 Assembly elections, another such example is former separatist leader Sajjad Lone, who recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The developments show the growing marginalisation of Pakistan backed Hurriyat Conference in the state as reflected by the ineffectiveness of its election boycott calls in the state. This does make Pakistan more uncomfortable. Hence such terror ploys to prevent the Kashmiris from voting with the support of infiltrators from across the border!

As per the army assessment, the terror threat is “very high”. Though terrorists are reported to be scattered in north and central J&K too, reports suggest such threat is more serious in Pulwama, Tral, Shopian, Sopore and Awantipora in South Kashmir – an area of operation of foreign mercenary Qasim.

The onus is now on the Indian security forces to ensure smooth elections in face of the terror threat. That would be a befitting reply to Pakistan in its continuous attempts to create a jaundiced view about Kashmir across the globe for its own diabolical purposes.