USING drones to drop bombs at the Air Force Station in Jammu causing two major blasts, is the new mode Pakistan-backed terrorists appear to have adopted to create disturbance in Kashmir. The security Forces also arrested a man with 6 kilos of explosives which he had been tasked to ignite in a crowded place. These developments indicate that terrorists may from now on start using the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to cause trouble in India, particularly after they realise that the Security Forces are far too alert for them to sneak into India to implement their dirty designs. It is worthy of note that in the past two years since the abrogation of Special Status in Kashmir, the Security Forces have launched a major counter-insurgency drive not just restrict terrorism, but also to eliminate physically a big number of terrorists and their commanders.

 

The use of drones to drop bombs, therefore, appears to be the new strategy the terrorists appear to employ -- raising new concerns for authorities. In the past some months, the Indian Security Forces have successfully started using various modes and methods to combat the use of drone by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The reason was obvious -- the terrorists were being supplied arms and explosives using drones so as to avoid getting captured by the Security Forces. The two drone strikes at Jammu Air Force Station, obviously, is an extension of those tactics. The authorities, therefore, will have to employ smarter strategies to counter any such possibilities in the future. There is also a political angle to this development -- with a clear reference to the successful meeting Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi had with leaders of mainstream political parties in Kashmir on June 24.

 

The cordial atmosphere in the meeting appears to have caused much irritation in Pakistan, as a result of which a fresh wave of terrorist activities may get kick-started. The drone attack on the Air Force Station in Jammu may have stemmed from such an irritation in Pakistan. No matter such details, it is clear that the Indian Security Forces have been on a new level of high alert for the last two years. Their counter-insurgency measures have yielded grand success in elimination of many terrorist commanders and various terror modules. In addition, various administrative measures, too, have brought to the region an overall sense of betterment to the people. Local elections also were held successfully, busting the claims that things had deteriorated in Kashmir. Those who threatened that a holocaust will get unleashed in Kashmir if the Government abrogated Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution have been proved terribly wrong by the subsequent developments. Another major angle to the Kashmir situation is that many of the 14 Kashmiri leaders invited by the Prime Minister talked very cordially during the discussion, but offered another narrative for the consumption of general public once they emerged from the meeting. These double-standards now stand exposed, leading to a greater irritation in Pakistan.

 

Islamabad has also realised that its Kashmir tune has no takers in the larger Indian society and that those who repeat the engage-Pakistan refrain now stand isolated. The latest Jammu drone strikes have come after these developments, lending the situation a graver angle. The Prime Minister’s initiative was a major success for the simple reason that the people of Kashmir in particular and of India in general are too tired of the nonsense in Kashmiri politics being pursued by a few separatist elements such as Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference and Ms. Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party and others. In the light of this overall national mood, the June 24 meeting communicated to the separatist elements one no-nonsense truth that their shenanigans would not be tolerated from now on; and that they would have to fall in line with the national policy and atmosphere. There is no doubt that the Security Forces would find an effective answer to the drone danger soon, alerted fully by the Jammu incident. In the next few days, the nation may see another surge of counter-insurgency activities by the Security Forces.