Jammu, October 28
Government offices, including the Civil Secretariat, have closed in the summer capital, Srinagar, and are scheduled to open in the winter Capital, Jammu on November 5 as part of the century-old Durbar move. Many employees and officers have already reached Jammu.
Will militants too open their “offices” in the winter capital and its adjoining areas? During the 12-year history of militancy militants avoided opening of “offices” in the winter capital till 1994. Their activities were confined to the Kashmir valley only.
However in the last over six years militants set up “camp offices” first in Doda, then in Poonch and Rajouri districts. And gradually they and their leaders started operating from Jammu, Udhampur and other areas. Even during summer they did not close their “offices” in the winter capital and its adjoining areas and learnt from the Government to shift their main centres from Srinagar to Jammu in the winter and from the winter capital to the summer capital between May and October.
Reports with different Government agencies, including the police have revealed that preparations are afoot among the militant groups to shift part of their “offices” to Jammu during the six months of winter. These reports have indicated that soon after opening their “offices” the militants would step up violence in the Jammu region on the same pattern the activities in the Government offices are to be intensified.
It is in this connection that the Director General of Police, Mr A.K. Suri, has stated that the police has strengthened security and intelligence network to tackle terrorist strikes and Fidayeen attacks in the summer zone, the Jammu region.
He has stated that militants had already started quitting the alpine forest belts because of cold and expected snowfall and were on their move to the lower levels, including inhabited villages. The movement from the higher reaches in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts has been an annual feature of shifting bases by the militants.
They take advantage of march of Bakkerwals and Gujjars from the alpine pastures to the lower reaches. They move in the guise of shepherds on the pretext of tending the cattle they have brought from the hill pastures.
Analysts explain that the militants prefer targeting senior political leaders, seats of power, including the civil secretariat and the state Legislature, and other vital Government installations which reopen in the winter capital from first week of November.
This type of targets will not be available in abundance in Srinagar after the closure of Government offices for the winter months. Security experts also argue that the need for opening of “militant” offices in Jammu had emanated from the terrorists’ keenness to extend subversive activities to the Hindu dominated Kathua district. In fact after Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Udhampur and parts of Jammu registered militancy related violence in one form or the other it was only Kathua district that had escaped the attention of militants.
Militant groups started making their presence felt from Billawar and brought Banni, Basholi, Hiranagar and other areas under their grip. Since Kathua district borders Punjab the Pakistani agencies have a plan of kicking up turmoil in Kathua which could cast its shadow on Punjab.
Disturbed Kathua would also mean disturbed International Border. Reports with Government agencies also reveal that militants may not hesitate targeting temples, shrines, crowded places, including bus stands, Railway station and business centres, in Jammu. They may also follow their Kashmir plan in Jammu by entering into mosques and other Muslim shrines so as to create added scare and attract bigger publicity which they require for keeping the Kashmir issue alive.
These possible developments have put additional responsibility on the shoulders of the police and other security agencies, including the troops. Some experts are of the view that since security agencies were overstretched it was necessary to strengthen the village Defence Committees by equipping them with sophisticated weapons. There was also need for increasing the number of VDCs and time had come when the Government should set up Urban Defence Committees (UDCs) for taking on militants in the winter capital and other towns in the Jammu region.
