Latest news with #non-Kashmiris
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor and societal impact
Terrorism, the scourge of modern society was used by Pakistan yet again when it killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam, in Kashmir, India. Besides terrorism being a dastardly act in itself, what stood out was the religious profiling of the tourists, and confirmation of whether or not they were Muslims, before killing them in cold blood, if they were not. While Pakistan has always been a State sponsor of terrorism, two other points stand out here. The first important point that can be seen in the terrorists' actions and statements was a deliberate message aimed at creating fear and division. The attack was designed to undermine the return of normalcy to Kashmir as well as to provoke communal discord across India. The inhuman execution style, with headshots and public humiliation, was to traumatise the survivors and to send a message of religious intolerance. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), which is a proxy of the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Claims of the TRF on Telegram revealed their opposition to India's policies, specifically in the granting of residency permits to non-Kashmiris, after the repeal of Article 370, and the terrorist group framed the attack as resistance to their perceived demographic changes in the region. The message behind the dastardly terrorist attacks were thus both a warning to non-Muslims visiting Kashmir as well as a challenge to India's governance. Increasing tourism, as a sign of normalcy in Kashmir, is a threat to separatist narratives. Thus, by killing non-Muslims, the attempt was to scare away tourists and to disrupt the region's economy. The TRF's emergence as a new group (it was created in 2019), despite its LeT links is a well-planned strategy to obscure Pakistan's direct involvement. The terrorist attack, however, fell short in fulfilling its objectives of widespread unrest, given that several Kashmiri Muslims openly expressed solidarity with the victims and expressed anger and rage at the terrorist attack. The Indian government outmanoeuvered the TRF's goals of stoking communal tensions by swiftly condemning the attack, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and foreign secretary Vikram Misri stated that the attack was a barbaric attempt to undermine normalcy and to provoke communal discord. The government thus pre-empted narratives that could be used to fuel religious tensions. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian leaders also jointly issued statements to condemn the terrorist attack. Several acts of humanity from the Kashmiri Muslims in helping and sheltering non-Muslims were widely amplified through media and through official channels, to showcase Kashmir's unity with the rest of India. Public demonstrations, candlelight vigils, and interfaith prayers reinforced the message that Kashmiris reject the ideology of the terrorists. Events like the Bharat Ekta march emphasized national unity over religious fissures. A laudable step from the Indian government was the crack down on inflammatory posts on platforms like X, which attempted to incite anti-Muslim sentiments, and the government's cyber units worked to flag and remove divisive content. Finally, India launched Operation Sindoor that targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and neutralised key TRF and LeT operatives. India displayed the resolve to fight back terrorism, which intends to fracture India on communal lines. Before Operation Sindoor was launched, tourists had even started visiting Kashmir again, reposing their faith in the increased security for tourists and religious sites, and defeating fear-driven communal segregation. Inclusivity over religious fissures regained the upper hand. The communication of the details of Operation Sindoor to the media, on May 7, 2025 were led by Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. This was also a direct sign that India stands united against terrorism and against all attempts to fracture India on communal lines. Local leaders, including Omar Abdullah have championed inclusive growth, ensuring that every Kashmiri benefits from its economic resurgence. Due to the ongoing Operation Sindoor to root out cross-border terrorism, emergency measures have been instituted and can be expected to stay for some more time. On May 10, after Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations called India's Director General of Military Operations to halt military actions across land, air, and sea, it was decided that there would be no further escalation from either side. While normalcy is yet to return, despite the announcement of preventing escalation, Pakistan has reportedly violated the verbal agreement by firing across the Line of Control, as a result of which, emergency preparations in India remain, as they were before the announcement of the verbal agreement between the two sides to cease firing. India, as exemplified in all its responses, be it at the societal level or through Operation Sindoor, remains united, and has defeated the terrorists and the terrorism supporting State's hopes of dividing India on communal lines. This article is authored by Sriparna Pathak, professor, China Studies and International Relations, Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
05-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
When victims become villains: Western media's distorted narrative on Hindu ‘colonisers' in Kashmir
Kashmir has been an integral part of civilisational Bharat from time immemorial. To call Hindus 'colonisers' and Bharat 'a settler colonial power' would be either due to deliberate media/academic distortion or lazy boilerplate reporting read more On April 22, 2025, when 26 people were killed in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam, one expected that the enormity of the terror strike would jolt the Western media and their Left-'liberal' supporters out of their slumber and force them into seeing the true jihadi nature of the so-called Kashmir movement. What should have been clear and categorical 'Islamist terrorists' attacking 'Hindus in Kashmir' became the saga of 'gunmen' killing in 'Indian-administered Kashmir'. Some reports were not even sure if this was the act of militants, thus using the term 'suspected militants'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yes, the terrorists who took innocent lives in Pahalgam first by looking at their identity cards — and those who couldn't show their IDs were told to recite a Muslim verse and, in extreme cases, forced to pull down their pants — were 'suspected militants' for the editors of some of the leading newspapers, TV channels and news agencies in the West. However, the subterfuge of the Western media and their Left-'liberal' supporters didn't just stop at diffusing the identity of the Pahalgam victims and delegitimising Bharat's sovereignty. They also renewed the charge of Bharat being a 'settler colonial power' in Kashmir, thus accusing the victims of acting as 'colonisers'. This accusation of Bharat being a 'settler colonial power' in Kashmir had actually gained currency after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. There was, in fact, an essay in The Harvard Law Review (Vol. 134, No. 7), 'From Domicile to Dominion: India's Settler Colonial Agenda in Kashmir', in May 2021, accusing non-Kashmiris of 'flooding the region'. The article said, 'Although the colonial lens has been applied to Kashmir in the past, the abrogation suggests that the settler colonial lens may be more fitting. Settler colonialism is premised on the recruitment of a settler class whose goal is not only to occupy indigenous land but also to eliminate the indigenes who stand in their way. Thus, as non-Kashmiris flood the region as new residents, India's identity as a settler state comes to the fore.' So, according to the dominant Left-'liberal' worldview, a Hindu in Kashmir is a 'coloniser' trying to grab the land and resources of the region. The cornered Kashmiris, this warped narrative pushed forward by the Western media would like us to believe, are thus fighting for their identity and survival. With the deft play of hands, the entire victim-perpetrator narrative has been upended. The killer isn't a mindless, vicious killer anymore. The victim is the villain now. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This brings us to the basic questions: Whose Kashmir is it anyway? And, are Hindus really 'colonisers', and Bharat a 'settler colonial power'? As it turns out, the real story of Kashmir is not one of Hindu colonisation of the Valley, but of its forceful Islamisation, especially since the late 1980s. Those who are crying hoarse about Kashmir's colonisation must recall how at least half a million Hindus were forced to leave their homes in the Valley to become refugees in their own country, preferring life over death, honour over incessant humiliations meted out to them just because they happened to be Hindus in Islamised Kashmir. This exodus didn't happen just because Jagmohan, the then Governor of J&K, created hysteria among Hindus to leave the Valley lock, stock and barrel, as a dominant section of the Left-'liberal' cabal wanted us to believe. This happened after a series of high-profile brutal killings, intermittent with daily betrayals and humiliations unleashed on Hindus. After a neighbourhood 'friend' who would regularly take a lift from Satish Tickoo fired a bullet at him. After the killing of BK Ganju, who had hidden in a drum full of rice to escape the wrath of terrorists but was exposed by his own neighbour; thereafter, the victim's family members were forced at gunpoint to cook the rice laced with Ganju's blood and eat it. After the blindfolded Girja Tiku was gang-raped by four men in a moving car, and when she recognised one of them ('Aziz, are you here as well?' she asked), they took her to a wood-processing unit and cut her alive on a mechanical saw, as Rahul Pandita writes in his seminal book, Our Moon Has Blood Clots. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jagmohan recounts in his book, My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir, how the assaults and killings of the Hindus had societal approval, and even the role of the police, bureaucracy, press and hospitals was dubious, to say the least. 'I found that, notwithstanding the enormity of the crimes committed, the local police stations didn't even have photographs of the wanted terrorists… When I called for the files of cases pertaining to serious crimes, I was appalled by the indifference and ineffectiveness. There was no investigation at all. Apart from recording the first information report, practically no action was taken,' Jagmohan writes. Calling those who were forced to leave the Valley at gunpoint 'colonisers' would not just be a blatant lie but also a case of utter moral bankruptcy and sinister intellectual deceitfulness. As for Bharat being a 'settler colonial power', even a cursory look at Kashmir's past exposes its deep civilisational connections with the country as a whole. Kalidas regarded Kashmir as 'more beautiful than heaven', while Kalhan called it 'the best place in the Himalayas'. As the legend goes, the Valley was originally a lake which was created after a part of Sati's dead body fell in Kashmir during Shiva's cataclysmic dance (tandav), creating the Satisar lake. The places where other body parts fell came to be known as Shakthi Peethas. One day, a great sage (rishi) called Kashyap arrived, and he drained the water, and thus a beautiful valley emerged out of the lake. The Rishi loved the place so much that he invited saints and scholars from other parts to populate this valley. Kashmir thus got its name from its founder, Kashyap Rishi, as Kashyapsar, Kashyapmar or Kashmir, meaning the house of Kashyap. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Given Kashmir's association with Shiva and Sati, the region has historically been a hub of 'Kashmir Shaivism' (though Buddhism too found its base here, and from here it made a massive influx into Central Asia), which looks at 'ultimate reality' as one pure consciousness transcending across the universe. It describes Shiva as universal consciousness and his creative and cosmic power as Shakti. Such had been the spiritual-cum-intellectual aura of Kashmir that even Adi Shankaracharya, after his visit to the valley, conceded the predominance of Shakti in his Advaita philosophy. He composed poems in praise of the Goddess, such as Saudarya Lahiri and Sharada Bhujana Stotram. Kashmir, till the end of the 13th century, was largely a Hindu state. It had the distinction of being both the hub of learning as well as a flourishing commercial centre. Kashmir, in that way, is unique, as it is believed to be the abode of Saraswati (Sharada), while at the same time Srinagar is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi (the term Srinagar itself means the city of Lakshmi). Kashmir's Islamic connection is not more than 700 years old, while its Sanatana link is at least 5,000 years old, if not more. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the life of a Hindu in Kashmir in the last 700 years has been about a series of persecutions and killings, intermittent with brief periods of respite and relief. These seven centuries saw seven major Hindu exoduses from the Valley — the first exodus took place during the reign of Sikandar Shah Miri (1389-1413 AD), infamously referred to as Sikandar Butshikan ('The Breaker of Idols'), while the last one occurred as recently as in 1990, when about half a million Hindus were forced to leave the Valley amid dire conditions. Kashmir has been an integral part of civilisational Bharat from time immemorial. To call Hindus 'colonisers' and Bharat 'a settler colonial power' would, thus, be either due to deliberate media/academic distortion or lazy boilerplate reporting. How can Hindus colonise what has been their ancestral home for millennia — a land they were forced to leave under the shadow of the gun about 35 years ago? How can Bharat be a 'settler colonial power' when Kashmir has been an integral part of the country's civilisational journey since the very beginning? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bharat is Kashmir. And Kashmir is Bharat. An umbilical cord connecting the two may have been partially damaged under Islamist attack, but Bharat's civilisational story and national journey won't be complete without reclaiming Kashmir in letter and spirit. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistani terrorist behind deadly Pahalgam attack is former para commando, probe finds
Investigations into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack have revealed that Hashim Musa , the Pakistani terrorist behind the massacre in Pahalgam in India's Kashmir, is a former para commando of the Pakistan Army 's Special Forces, according to ongoing probe into the terror plot, ToI reported. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India stares at a 'water bomb' threat as it freezes Indus Treaty India readies short, mid & long-term Indus River plans Shehbaz Sharif calls India's stand "worn-out narrative" Sources told The Times of India that Musa, now a committed member of the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was sent by its top leadership to Kashmir with a clear mission to launch attacks on non-local civilians and Indian security personnel. 'It is possible that he was loaned by the Pakistan special forces like the Special Service Group (SSG), to the LeT,' a security officer said. Also Read: India calls Pakistan 'rogue state' at UN The SSG para commandos are known for their training in unconventional warfare, which includes covert missions, physical and mental endurance, strategic combat techniques, and high survival and navigation skills. They are also skilled in the use of advanced weaponry and hand-to-hand fighting. Live Events You Might Also Like: Pahalgam attackers likely part of earlier strikes on non-Kashmiris with Pakistani handlers A senior officer involved in the probe said that Musa's background in the Pakistan Army has been verified during the interrogation of 15 overground workers (OGWs) from Kashmir. These individuals are being treated as major suspects in the case, accused of helping the Pakistani attackers by arranging logistics and assisting with reconnaissance. This link to Musa's military past is being seen as clear proof of Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI's involvement in the Pahalgam attack, as well as in previous terror incidents in the region, ToI reported. Also Read: Anantnag local who 'guided' Pahalgam killers had travelled to Pakistan for terror training These past incidents include the October 2024 attacks in Gagangir, Ganderbal, where six non-local civilians and a doctor were killed, and at Buta Pathri, Baramulla, where two Indian Army personnel and two porters lost their lives. Musa has now been identified as the key attacker behind all three strikes. Investigations have also found that two other local terrorists, Junaid Ahmad Bhat and Arbaaz Mir, who had trained in Pakistan, were involved in the Gagangir and Buta Pathri attacks. However, both were killed in separate encounters with Indian forces in November and December 2024. Since then, Musa has continued the campaign to attack non-locals in the Kashmir Valley, culminating in the killing of 26 civilians, including 25 tourists, in Baisaran, Pahalgam. The probe has uncovered a local network of OGWs and terror supporters in South Kashmir who helped the Pahalgam attack team by organising shelters and possibly arranging the transport of weapons. Local guides also helped in scouting the area in advance and mapping out potential hiding spots for the attackers before and after the strike. Also Read: Aadil and Adil: two lives that tell the Pahalgam tale So far, investigators have identified the involvement of two Pakistani nationals — Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai — and two local residents, Adil Thoker and Asif Shaikh. However, interrogations of the OGWs suggest more Pakistani terrorists might be linked to the attack. Combing operations are currently underway in the forests near Baisaran. 'The search has now been narrowed to a limited area,' as investigators have 'reasonably' located where the attackers were positioned, a source told ToI.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pahalgam attackers likely part of earlier strikes on non-Kashmiris with Pakistani handlers
Investigators probing the brutal attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead are now focusing on a possible coordinated terror strategy that may tie the massacre to two earlier strikes targeting non-Kashmiris. Officials suspect the same group of Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, including both Pakistani and local militants, may be behind all three incidents, ToI reported on Friday. On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir Police announced cash rewards of Rs 20 lakh each for information leading to the capture of three wanted terrorists: local Kashmiri Adil Hussain Thokar and two Pakistani nationals, Hasim Musa alias Suleiman and Ali Bhai alias Talha. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Vellore: The price (& size) of these hearing aids might surprise you Learn More Undo Read more: Jammu Kashmir Pahalgam Terror Attack Live Updates Was Pahalgam massacre part of a larger conspiracy? According to sources involved in the probe, there's growing evidence linking the Pahalgam carnage to two previous attacks in October 2024. One occurred in Gagangir (Ganderbal), where six migrant workers and a local doctor were killed. The other took place in Buta Pathri (Baramulla), claiming the lives of two Army personnel and two porters. Live Events Investigators believe these attacks were not isolated events but part of a broader campaign by Pakistan-based handlers to target non-locals in Kashmir. "Data recovered from mobile device, including chats, established that Pakistani masterminds had guided the terrorists during the Gagangir and Buta Pathri attacks. With the same assailants and motive seen in the Pahalgam strike, things point to a common set of conspirators based in Pakistan," said a senior security source. Among the three identified terrorists, Musa appears to be the most deeply entrenched. His name has surfaced in all three attacks, and he is believed to have narrowly escaped an earlier encounter in Sopore. His associates, Arbaaz Mir and Junaid Bhat, both residents of Kulgam, had also received terror training in Pakistan before returning to the Valley. They were killed in separate operations in late 2024. A key breakthrough came after forces killed Arbaaz Mir in Anantnag. From the encounter site, security personnel recovered a cache of arms along with a mobile phone. Chats on the device reportedly exposed communication between the attackers and their handlers across the border. More crucially, a photograph found on the phone — showing four armed men — was shown to survivors of the Pahalgam attack , who identified three of them: Musa, Talha, and Thokar. Read more: Indian Army effectively responds to firing by Pakistan along LoC Pahalgam attack: The investigation so far Adil Thokar , also known as Adil Guree, is a resident of Anantnag and currently at large. His family and suspected overground supporters are being questioned to track his movements and identify safehouses or accomplices. Security officials are also examining the role of Asif Shaikh, a Lashkar operative from Awantipora, who is believed to have provided logistical support for the Pahalgam attackers. Active in the Tral-Kulgam-Pulwama belt, Shaikh's local network is under scrutiny. To uncover the full extent of the conspiracy, agencies are sifting through nearly two lakh mobile calls made or received around the Pahalgam area on the day of the attack. Also read: Pakistan suspends Simla Agreement, shuts border, trade & airspace to Indian airlines 'We are trying to find any conversations among the overground workers and other facilitators regarding the Pahalgam attack plan or the shelter/logistics arranged by local terror guides. One careless call, even though terrorists now rely on secure apps like Ultra to communicate, could unravel the conspiracy and the key players,' a senior officer explained. The attack has prompted a sharp security response. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has directed forces to 'avenge the killing' and ordered fresh mapping of vulnerable locations across Jammu and Kashmir, including tourist destinations and settlements of migrant labourers. (With ToI inputs)
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Resistance Front: The banned organisation behind Pahalgam terror attack
The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack that has claimed the lives of 26 civilians, including two foreigners, so far. The attack was orchestrated by a group of terrorists who emerged from the dense forests around the trekking paradise of the Baisaran meadows in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. Pahalgam terror attack LIVE updates The terrorists, whose numbers could not be ascertained immediately, took advantage of the non-motorable destination — popular among honeymooners, trekkers and adventure junkies — to target tourists and ensure that any help from authorities would take time to reach them, officials said. Even though the security agencies did not confirm the veracity of the claim, the outfit alleged that the attack was to retaliate 85,000 domicile certificates issued to non-locals, thus 'creating a pathway for demographic change' in the Union Territory. 'Violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,' it said in a statement. What is TRF? The Resistance Front or TRF was founded in October 2019, months after Centre bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir, and abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to the erstwhile State. Though it projects itself as an independent militant outfit fighting for 'Kashmiri resistance,' the Ministry of Home Affairs said it is a front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The MHA banned the outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2023. The Ministry said the organisation was recruiting youth through online medium for furtherance of terrorist activities and had been involved in carrying out propaganda on terror activities, recruitment of terrorists, infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons and narcotics from Pakistan into Jammu and Kashmir. Sheikh Sajjad Gul, a commander of TRF was also designated as a terrorist under the UAPA. 'A large number of cases have been registered against the members/associates of the TRF relating to planning of killings of security force personnel and innocent civilians of Jammu and Kashmir, co-coordinating and transporting weapons to support proscribed terrorist organisation, etc.,' a ministry notification said while announcing the ban. Targets The Resistance Front (TRF) has targeted non-Kashmiris and the religious minorities of Kashmir, including Pandits, earlier. The murder of well-known chemist, Makhan Lal Pandita, and a school principal, Supinder Kaur, in 2021, the killing of civilians working for a private construction firm in Ganderbal in 2024, the 2023 Anantnag encounter, Reasi pilgrims attack of 2024, are among the handiwork of the TRF. The group killed Kashmiri activist Babar Qadri in 2020, who was known for some strong views on militancy, separatism, and Indian government's handling of the Kashmir issue. Trained in Pakistan Seen as a faceless and tech savvy organisation, the TRF used body cameras like the GoPro to shoot attacks on the CRPF and the Army in Kashmir, post them on their social handles to 'motivate' their recruits. The initial cadre of the TRF comprised locals trained in Pakistan. They travelled on passports and returned via Wagah, according to a police report. Additionally, well-trained young militants are being sent to Kashmir via the LoC. Security agencies managed to dent the outfit's ability to strike when they killed its 'commander' Abbas Sheikh, a resident of Kulgam, in an encounter in Srinagar in August 2021. In May 2024, Basit Dar an 'A' category militant of the TRF and was involved in more than 18 cases was killed in an anti-militancy operation in May 2024.
