Reasi attack shows why security in Jammu and Kashmir needs more than just a military approach
Local politics and a delicate societal equilibrium, key to the region’s stability, have been disrupted by the abrogation of Article 370.
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About an hour before Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister in New Delhi on the evening of June 9, a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi fell into a gorge after terrorists fired on it. At least nine people were killed and 43 others injured.
The terror attack has triggered enormous anger, especially as photos of the gruesome victims circulated on social media. The Reasi attack reiterated the fact that addressing the security challenges in Jammu and Kashmir require more than just a military approach; it must be embedded in local politics and a delicate societal equilibrium.
Since August 5, 2019, when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was abrogated, the militants’ strategy has been to carry out targeted killings in the Valley and inflict losses on security personnel in the mountainous districts south of the Pir Panjal, the range that divides Kashmir valley from Jammu.
In 2023, a total of 59 people – 24 security personnel, seven civilians and 28 terrorists – were killed in Rajouri-Poonch. The attacks have continued across the belt this year.
Psychological warfare is a component of the militant strategy. Militants have sometimes used body cameras to film attacks and then...
