As India and Pakistan seemingly dial down hostilities that brought the arch enemies to the brink of another war, a massive crackdown in the Indian-held Kashmir region is killing both civilians and security personnel in big numbers.
At the Line of Control (LoC), there was relative calm in the past 24 hours, their armies said on Sunday. The exchange of fire in the past few days has killed seven people on Azad Kashmir and four in the occupied valley, though the release of a downed Indian fighter pilot by Pakistan on Friday night has helped de-escalate tensions.
“By and large the LoC was calm last night but you never know when it will become active again,” said Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, a minister in Azad Jammu and Kashmir cabinet. “Tension still prevails,” he added.
After heavy exchange of fire between Friday and Saturday night, the situation is ‘relatively calm’ along the Line of Control (LoC) with intermittent fire during Saturday night in Nezapir, Jandrot and Baghsar sectors, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday. Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing and targeted cross-border posts, said the military’s media wing, adding, “Armed forces remain in state of alert and vigilance.” Residents near the LoC said it was quiet overnight. AJK resident Nazakat Hussain said his and many other families are using the lull today to leave their homes in Chakoti. A government official, Moazzam Zafar, said some 200 families have already taken shelter in three large government buildings in the territory.
Indian troops martyr two freedom fighters in gun battle in occupied valley
Indian warplanes carried out air strikes on Tuesday inside northeast Pakistan’s Balakot on what New Delhi called militant camps. Islamabad denied any such camps existed, as did some villagers in the area. Nevertheless, Pakistan retaliated on Wednesday with its own aerial mission in a show of force.
In Indian-held Kashmir, troops on Sunday shot dead two freedom fighters after a three-day gun battle that also killed five security force personnel, taking the total death toll to 25 in the past two weeks. The fresh crackdown was launched after a Kashmiri suicide bomber killed 40 Indian paramilitary police in a suicide attack on Feb 14.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also come down hard on Kashmiri groups operating in the valley, including by banning the Jamaat-e-Islami party, two of whose clerics were detained in raids on Saturday night. On Sunday, residents observed a shutdown in South Kashmir’s Tral area against the detentions. Shops were closed and traffic was off the roads in the area, and a protest march took place.
Indian authorities have arrested more than 300 Jamaat leaders and activists in the past two weeks, accusing the group of supporting attempts to ‘carve out an Islamic State out of India’ by destabilizing the government.
Amit Shah, the president of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party that faces a general election by May, told an election rally that the government has made it clear to the Kashmiri leaders that “if they want to live in India, they will have to speak the language of India, not Pakistan’s”.
The government, however, has come under pressure from the opposition to share proof that ‘a very large number’ of militants were killed in air strikes inside Pakistan this week, after doubts were raised there were any casualties in the attack.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, one of Modi’s top lieutenants, said on Saturday no security agencies ever share operational details and dismissed suggestions that the escalation in tensions with Pakistan had anything to do with domestic politics ahead of the election. Pollsters expect the ruling party to benefit from the nationalistic passion sweeping the country.
Published in Daily Times, March 4th 2019.
