Do we actually know why terrorism or even why radicalisation was spread in the beautiful valley of Kashmir? Statistical reports state that terrorism is one of the major causes of radicalisation of youth in any developing nation. The Government of India has concluded that terrorism and extremism are the major causes for radicalisation of the society especially the youth. To start with, terrorism initially emerged in the ill-fated state of Jammu & Kashmir with serial blasts in the city of Srinagar in year 1988. Further, the ideology of incompatibility of co-existence of Hindu-Muslim community was the cover story for four unsuccessful attempts by the Pakistan to annex Kashmir with the most recent one in 1999. The conflicts/wars in the past can now be viewed as the ‘tips of an iceberg’, with quantum of lives lost and money spent on the operations in countering terrorism, the sum total of economic as well as human resource effort put together will far outweigh those expended during all the past wars. Jammu & Kashmir has a male youth base of approximately 14.24 Lakhs (Jan 2022) in the age group of 15 to 35 years which is well educated, possess better situational awareness owing to better access to social media and come from reasonably economically stable families but stand highly susceptible to religious & political propaganda and subsequently radicalisation and terrorism.
After multiple humiliating defeats in conventional engagements the cheaper option of terrorism and radicalizing Indian youth was adopted by Pakistan. The idea of “bleed by a thousand cuts” was the ideology which was proposed, accepted and is being practiced by the adversary. Initially, terrorists included Pakistani and a few Afghan nationals, but there has been a steady increase in the involvement of the local population as well. The initial stage of radicalization, Recruiters adopted the already existing religious strife and gained success in attracting a lot of young men and boys towards terrorism from Kashmir. To trap such gullible minds the seed of the hatred would have to be sown at a very early stage and the easiest target was the ‘Education system of the state’. The Jamaat ran Madrassas which schooled children and made them into the Kalashnikovs of radical ideology. It was very evident in the decade from 1980 to 1987 when the militants deliberately torched 35 government run schools to ensure that liberal education was not available to the young population. There was also a significant rise of 15.76% in the number of Jamaat run schools in the entire Kashmir valley back then.
To start with the status of governance post ingress of terrorism it is stated that government never failed, but, the effectiveness of its capability is still questionable. The prime of the population was misled into a false realm and is now one of the biggest problems for the country. There have been many youth who have joined militancy to wage Jihad. Ask them the meaning of Jihad and they reply – to kill as many Hindus (though statistically more Muslims have been killed) and security personnel as possible. A few others state ‘Adventurism’ as the motivating force. If adventure is not a good enough reason, intimidation takes over.
The educated youth on the other hand find their source of motivation in literature, films, documentaries and fiery hate speeches by the likes of Maulana Masood Azhar. Intermittent pull of radicalistaion – Name, fame, dame and money remain the prime motivating factors for the choice of this line of life. The families of these militants are respected a lot in their villages as their sacred fight is aimed at liberation of the oppressed Kashmiris. Most of the youth are also in the profession to secure their life after death. With a mind altering illusion of the infamous 72 virgins waiting to embrace them after attaining martyrdom in the course of jihad the motivation level of these men push them towards their death when the need arises.
Kashmiri youth are educated, have a better sit awareness, come from reasonably economically stable families and are well exposed to social media through easy internet access. However, only a few are employed thus majority of them stand highly susceptible to religious & political propaganda. So what are the hopes and aspiration of a Kashmiri youth today? The Kashmiri youth of today finds that he has no political space to vent his views, suffers from a persecution complex, looks to secure a future for him but finds no opportunities in the valley, finds that his voice is stifled, fears losing his Kashmiriyat identity and sees the calls of guns as mesmerizing. It is ultimately the responsibility of the government and the society to ensure that these ignited young minds are not fuelled further to the point of extremism.
Soft approaches such as counseling, guidance and de-radicalisation programmes for the suspected misguided youths, supporters, sympathisers are now being adopted instead of detaining them behind prison walls to follow a radical ideology being justified in the name of religion. Rehabilitation programs at the national level involving all agencies to curb the spread of radicalisation being feasible option is in place. Counter narrative to engage a narrative that dissects and de-legitimizes, disaggregates and de-globalizes, and de-glamorizes the terrorist’s narrative. A sustained, comprehensive, integrated and effective effort to combat violent Islamist extremism is a crucial element of statecraft on counter terrorism.
The first step towards pushback is to Dissect and expose the adversary’s narrative, so as to properly understand and rebut it. Disaggregate and De-Globalize involves brokering infighting between terror organisations, its affiliates and the broader jihad orbit in which they reside. This will damage violent extremists’ capability to propagate their message and organise operations both at home and abroad. The Government should help to magnify the voices of others who reside at the grassroots and possess the credibility and authenticity necessary to affect outcomes. De-glamorise involves undertaking deeper efforts to pay tribute to the memory of victims of terrorist acts, such as through Facebook, Twitter and such other social media platforms for the deceased on multiple levels. We must convey the lost dreams, hopes, stories, and opportunities of the victims and survivors of terror act. The fourth response option is one of the last resorts to Deny & Destroy, that is to be considered only in very limited circumstances as it is to invoke computer network attack methods and tools in order to up-end terror organisations efforts to use the internet to further their own ends.
Certain surprising facts about Jammu & Kashmir claim that the state prospered economically even during militancy, being only state other than Punjab with hired lab for agriculture, has the highest per capita saving, has the highest consumption of animal protein, only state with every family owing a house, state has an average house hold assets worth 11 lakhs, state has the most evenly distributed income. Jammu and Kashmir despite being socially and economically well off has not been able to curb the menace of terrorism over last four decades. Though many still feel – De-radicalisation of Muslim youth base in Kashmir will alleviate security situation which could eventually aid in improvement of the overall security situation of the nation.
