Protests and unrest persist

Azhar Qadri

With protests forcing indefinite postponement of a major parliamentary bypoll and frequent shutdowns of schools and colleges, the first half of 2017 was shadowed by the last year of unrest.

The fatigue that set in after months of protests in 2016 was yet to force the protesters home when clashes with the police and paramilitary forces occurred, setting the tone for first half of the year. The first major showdown came on April 9, when 16 assembly segments of Srinagar parliamentary constituency went for bypoll. The results were gory: 8 deaths, 7 per cent vote and postponement of another bypoll scheduled three days later in South Kashmir. Even six months later, as the year ends, the bypoll remains on hold.

The militants remained on an offensive resulting in the highest police casualties in a decade. In a brazen attack, they killed an entire police patrol in an ambush in South Kashmir. In another attack, Army officer Umar Fayaz was killed at his home, again in the same region.

The security forces launched a major counter-insurgency offensive, which led to the killing of militant commanders steering insurgency in the region. Lashkar-e-Toiba, which served as the backbone of militancy in the region for many years, was almost decimated as its entire chain of commanders was killed. The vacuum caused by the operations was partly filled by the emergence of Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit, which surged into Kashmir valley for the first time in a decade.

The separatist political groups, which had been losing ground to a more militant generation of youth, faced an existential crisis when radical militant Zakir Musa threatened to chop their heads if they described Kashmir as a political struggle.

In October, as Kashmir appeared to have returned to calm, New Delhi made a surprise announcement of appointing a special representative for initiating sustained dialogue with all stakeholders in the state. Dineshwar Sharma, former chief of Intelligence Bureau, made two visits to the state, but could break only a little ice with the separatists. 

The year has ended on a note of loss for everyone. The region’s tourism industry faced a downfall of numbers. The business community was at a loss, courtesy the new tax law. The political parties found little success as they attempted to salvage the lost support bases. The security forces, which had managed to kill the highest number of militants in a decade this year, struggled as militant cause continued to gain recruits, leaving the year where it had begun.

Interlocutor gets to work

Dineshwar Sharma was appointed as New Delhi’s special representative for initiating sustained dialogue with all stakeholders in the state. Sharma, former chief of Intelligence Bureau, was tasked with the mission that many past governments have failed to accomplish. He met Abdul Gani Bhat, a former chairman of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference, during his second tour.

Row over human shield

Huge uproar was created when Budgam resident Farooq Ahmed Dar was tied to an Army vehicle allegedly as a “human shield” against protesters who took on the security forces during Srinagar bypoll. The officer behind the action, Major Leetul Gogoi of 53 Rashtriya Rifles, was commended by the Army for bravery.

Attack on Amarnath pilgrims

Seven pilgrims were killed and 13 others, including policemen, were injured on July 10 when a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims was attacked by militants in Anantang. All of them hailed from Gujarat and the attackers were led by Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Abu Ismail. He was later killed after a brief gunfight on September 14 in Srinagar.

Jawans buried under snow

Two avalanches claimed the lives of 14 Army personnel in the Gurez sector in January, trapping several soldiers under the debris. Weather is a major threat to the Army that has lost nearly 70 soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) since 2010 in avalanches that had hit camps and patrols.

Abu Dujana killed

The militant’s life came to an end during a gunfight at Harkipora in Pulwama district in August. He had planned some of the most high-profile attacks in the recent years and gained profile by escaping through dragnets. His life also defined transitions in the region’s militancy as weeks before his death, he had left the LeT and joined Islamist commander Zakir Musa, who drifted towards the Islamism of Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Braid-chopping hysteria

The first incidents of braid chopping took place in Anantnag and Kulgam. These went unnoticed for a while, until the situation went out of control as braid chopping incidents were reported from across Kashmir. Fear fuelled mass hysteria, with suspects being beaten up too. While the number of incidents crossed hundred, police failed to nab any culprits. By October end, braid chopping ended as quietly as it began.