Unmasking Pak Network

The radicalized local link is the hidden villain behind terror in Jammu & Kashmir, and as long as it persists, it serves as Pakistan's tool for its sinister ambitions, says Deepika Bhan

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THE crucial link in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack is the local support that helped the terrorists, some of them Pakistanis, execute the heinous plan right under the nose of the security forces.

An unknown person cannot reach a specific spot with heavily loaded weapons, kill people indiscriminately, and then vanish into thick woods. The Pahalgam plot deeply involves the locals, as pointed out by the family members of the victims and other tourists.

The local connection could be the ponywallas, the shopkeepers, those working in the hotels, those who decided to open the stretch without notifying the authorities, or even the policemen who failed to detect the anomaly. It could also be an intelligence failure, or if the intel was there, then either deliberate negligence or careless handling of information.

In Kashmir, anything can happen, and many times, what is evident is not the real story. There is always a plot and a subplot. The valley has witnessed lots of plotting since Sheikh Abdullah became the first Prime Minister of J&K after the then-king merged with India in 1947.

However, these plots became far more ruthless with the advent of Pakistan-backed terrorism in the valley. The terrorism was more about Islamisation and not about the so-called freedom or 'azadi' movement.

Had it been a genuine struggle for freedom or independence, the ethnic cleansing of Hindus, who were just two per cent of the population, would not have occurred. The plot was to drive them away and usurp their lands, houses, temples, and institutions - and this was successfully achieved.