As the unrest in Kashmir completed one month on Sunday with no sign of respite, the government is reported to have decided to assign the Army a “bigger and more useful” role in resolving the crisis triggered by the killing of Hizbul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani on July 8.
It, however, won’t be any military operation as such but a firm hand within the velvet glove that the Army would be using as part of the government’s “carrot and stick” approach. It will not only work in close cooperation with the law enforcing agencies in preventing unrest from sustaining and spreading but would on its own take various hard and soft measures depending on situations on ground to counterbalance the separatists’ diktats.
Army’s Northern Command Chief, Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, was earlier this week in the Valley for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. He closeted with Lt. Gen. Satish Dua, the commander of Srinagar-based 15 (Chinar) corps, and other senior Army officers to review the situation and then drove to CM Mehbooba Mufti’s official residence to offer “all possible assistance” by the Army to the state government towards restoring peace and tranquility in the Valley at the earliest.
According to sources, a section of BJP, being worried at the spillover of unrest to Chenab valley and some other Muslim-majority areas on the other side of the Pirpanjal Range which divides Kashmir Valley from the Jammu region, had asked for taking more stringent measures to crush the strife.
Reports said that BJP’s troubleshooter on Kashmir and party’s national general secretary Ram Madhav has discussed the current situation in the Valley, the causes of the unrest and the possible way forward at a specially organised “young thinkers meet” at Patnitop, a hilltop tourist location in Udhampur district along Jammu-Srinagar highway.
Fifty-five civilians have been killed in security forces’ firings and other actions which also left more than 4,000 people injured. But the government disputes the non-fatal casualty figure among civilians and says that it is less than those suffered by security forces in stone-pelting incidents and other mob attacks. 1,018 incidents of violence were reported during this period and 1,030 FIRs stand registered in different police stations of the Valley. 29 installations including police stations, police posts and other government establishments were set ablaze.
“Watch out, next few days are going to be very crucial and may see some sea chances on ground,” said a senior government official who has been part of consultations and, for obvious reason, desired not to be named.
