Pakistan propaganda

The operation to flush out terrorists holed up in the Sunjuwan military station had barely completed on Sunday when the news arrived that a CRPF constable was killed in a gunfight that broke out in Srinagar early on Monday. This gunfight was preceded by the CRPF foiling an attack on its camp in Srinagar's Karan Nagar area. For all those who would love to see peace in Jammu & Kashmir, the sudden spike in militant offensive is a cause of serious concern. The New Year did not begin well for the people and the security forces in the restive Jammu & Kashmir. There have been civilian deaths in Shopian district of Jammu & Kashmir and there has been incessant firing and shelling from across the border, resulting in the deaths of Indian security forces. With the attack on Sunjuwan military station by Jaish-e-Mohammad militants and the encounter that was underway in Srinagar on Monday afternoon, the situation in the state is causing a great deal of concern for all the stakeholders: people, state government, security forces, the Centre and its official interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma. In an instant outburst at the security forces for open-firing on a crowd of stone-pelters in Shopian that saw the death of three protestors, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti not only called up Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and registered her protest but also asked the state police to register an FIR against the security forces including a Major. She also proclaimed that the Indian security forces, as a whole, have been the most disciplined and professional armed force. She had told the Defence Minister that the death of civilians in Shopian derails the peace process that the state has embarked upon with the appointment of the Centre's interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma, who on his part, has held consultations with different sections of the society. The three militants who were killed by security forces in the Sunjuwan military station attack were all Pakistani nationals. They are suspected to have been in India for the last one year or so. The police are now probing their local links. The Sunjuwan attack, once again, proves that it is not the youth from the state who are carrying out the deadly attacks on Indian security forces but it is the Pakistan-based terror groups that are responsible for such cowardly acts. Unprovoked firing and shelling along the LoC from Pakistan, since the beginning of the New Year, has resulted in a number of casualties of security personnel on the Indian side. In recent weeks, India had retaliated with full force and caused heavy losses to Pakistan, especially in the death and destruction of the ISI and retired military officers and their establishment close to the LoC. After the Sunjuwan attack, Pakistan has cautioned India not to engage in cross-border firing. This clearly shows that Pakistan not only supports and provides logistical support to militants but also infiltrates jihadi elements into India who create a local level network of militants, radicalise, and recruit gullible youngsters and when nothing else works, they even plan a fidayeen attack themselves. The net result is that the state remains on the boil all the time. It is also noteworthy that the people of Jammu & Kashmir have refrained from mounting an attack on the security forces. While it is true that the civilian population and the security forces are often engaged in face-offs, we can differentiate between the militants from Pakistan and those of Indian origin. It is the Pakistani militants who come with a killer instinct and mount maximum damage on the Indian territory. Pakistan is already facing the music for the misdeeds of its policymakers, including the Pakistani security forces. US President Donald Trump has already told off Pakistan for providing safe havens to militants. He has also suspended nearly two billion dollars of civil and military aids to the country. There is lawlessness in most parts of Pakistan. Jihadi elements are ruling the roost and they openly challenge the government of the day. The only silver lining in the Pakistan story is the proposed $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). But as things stand, from the Prime Minister's Office to the Army and the Judiciary, Pakistani institutions have weakened and become a mockery of what they are supposed to be. The fact that China does not criticise Pakistan for harbouring terrorists only proves that China does not wish well for the country. Pakistan is increasingly being isolated in the international arena for its terror tag and it looks more like a Chinese colony now. India does not need to go for a war against Pakistan to teach the country some basic rules of being a civilised nation. Pakistan is already paying the price.