Post attack, uneasy calm in Kashmir

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 15

An uneasy calm prevailed in Kashmir on Friday after the deadly attack on the CRPF convoy in which 42 personnel of the force were killed.

Residents preferred to stay indoors as many shops and business establishments remained shut in the area.

Hundreds of troopers in riot gear guarded streets as a high alert had been sounded in the region after the deadliest incident in the state sent shock waves across the country.

“We are against the killings. We are against the killing of anyone. We have been demanding a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem, otherwise many more lives of civilians, security forces and militants will be lost and no one will be victorious in this dirty war,” said Aijaz Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar, who avoided going to his office on Friday due to the tense situation.

Ahmad said after he heard of the attack, it created chaos everywhere as people were unable to understand what had happened. Roads wore a deserted look today. There were condemnations of the incident pouring in from various quarters.

“I had to go for Friday prayers to Jamia Mosque in the old city, but I preferred to stay indoors. We do not know what the situation is going to be like here,” a resident from Bohri Kadal in Srinagar said.

Villages along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway where the attack took place witnessed rare civilian movement as different teams visited the site for investigation purposes. Residents also blamed political leaders for “playing with fire in Kashmir”.

“No one is really interested to solve the Kashmir problem, as it has consumed thousands of people till now. Political leaders just want the pot to remain boiling. They are only busy on social media, they do not bother about the real issues,” said Shafqat Ahmad, a shopkeeper in the city centre.

Residents fear that it might create a charged atmosphere against Kashmiris in different parts of India. “Some groups might play it up against Kashmiris, this is going to be a hard time,” Ahmad cautioned. “But what is the mistake of common masses?”

Seven detained by police

• The police have detained seven persons from Pulwama district in connection with the deadly terror attack that left 40 CRPF personnel dead near Awantipora, officials said Friday. The youths were detained from Pulwama and Awantipora during the night on the suspicion of links with the planning of the suicide attack.
• The overall planning is believed to have been done by a Pakistani national, Kamran, of the JeM, who has been operating and moving in Pulwama, Awantipora and Tral areas of south Kashmir.
• According to initial probe, the planning for the terror strike was done at the Midoora area of Tral. The police are also looking for another local JeM overground worker who was instrumental in arranging the explosive material. PTI