The residence of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayyed was attacked in the early hours of October 17 by militants. As audacious as the attack may seem it is the message that the attack sends out that is of greater concern and this can be looked upon from different angles.
The attack showcases the international and domestic compulsions of Pakistan who is desperately trying to stir up the Kashmir issue at every given opportunity. It becomes symbolic when seen against the backdrop of the developments at the OIC meeting being held at Putrajaya, Malaysia. President Musharraf was able to have a "Declaration on Jammu and Kashmir" passed at the meeting of the OIC which called on India to ostensibly resume dialogue and resolve differences. The tone that President Musharraf adopted to achieve this was decidedly less aggressive and more defensive. He called on India to reconsider its rejectionist and belligerent posture while expressing concern over the continued violation of human rights in the state and the intensification of the repression of the people in the state; the attack on the Chief Minister’s residence can now be an example that Pakistan can use for reiterating its contention. This attack is also different as the responsibilities for it has been made by relatively unknown groups who go by the name of Al-Nasireen and Farzandan-e-Millat. It would come as no surprise if it were to be revealed that this group was formed entirely of disgruntled and frustrated native youth from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This would further lay content to the claims made by Pakistan of the seething dissatisfaction that the people of the state feel towards official Government of India policies.
Nonetheless the domestic compulsions of Pakistan also become apparent with this attack. The internal happenings of Kashmir have left the policy makers in Pakistan wanting. For instance the All Party Hurriyat Conference has been broken into two factions with hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani not being able to garner the kind of support he had in the past and Maulvi Abbas Ansari, the leader of the official faction, being decidedly moderate and open to dialogue with New Delhi than any previous APHC chief. This development is being questioned by hardliners in Pakistan as a weakening of its support to separatist groups in the state and also as a result of the extensive compromises that Pakistan has made as a result of the US led war on terrorism. The attack can thus be seen as a desperate attempt to keep the Kashmir issue continuously highlighted.
The attack on the Chief Minister’s residence can be alternatively interpreted as a reiterated rejection by the militants of the Mufti’s healing touch policy. It seems ironic though as the policy not only calls for the release of militants in the state prisons but also for a reduction in the severity of counter infiltration operations along the state border.
The attack also coincides with the visit of a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Association is in the State to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the attack on the State legislative assembly. The attack and the target the militants chose would fervently express to an outsider, like nothing else, just how contentious the issue still is.
Thus it is important to trace the symbolism and nature of the attack while also realizing that this would probably the first of many attacks that can be expected in the coming months.
The attack showcases the international and domestic compulsions of Pakistan who is desperately trying to stir up the Kashmir issue at every given opportunity. It becomes symbolic when seen against the backdrop of the developments at the OIC meeting being held at Putrajaya, Malaysia. President Musharraf was able to have a "Declaration on Jammu and Kashmir" passed at the meeting of the OIC which called on India to ostensibly resume dialogue and resolve differences. The tone that President Musharraf adopted to achieve this was decidedly less aggressive and more defensive. He called on India to reconsider its rejectionist and belligerent posture while expressing concern over the continued violation of human rights in the state and the intensification of the repression of the people in the state; the attack on the Chief Minister’s residence can now be an example that Pakistan can use for reiterating its contention. This attack is also different as the responsibilities for it has been made by relatively unknown groups who go by the name of Al-Nasireen and Farzandan-e-Millat. It would come as no surprise if it were to be revealed that this group was formed entirely of disgruntled and frustrated native youth from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This would further lay content to the claims made by Pakistan of the seething dissatisfaction that the people of the state feel towards official Government of India policies.
Nonetheless the domestic compulsions of Pakistan also become apparent with this attack. The internal happenings of Kashmir have left the policy makers in Pakistan wanting. For instance the All Party Hurriyat Conference has been broken into two factions with hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani not being able to garner the kind of support he had in the past and Maulvi Abbas Ansari, the leader of the official faction, being decidedly moderate and open to dialogue with New Delhi than any previous APHC chief. This development is being questioned by hardliners in Pakistan as a weakening of its support to separatist groups in the state and also as a result of the extensive compromises that Pakistan has made as a result of the US led war on terrorism. The attack can thus be seen as a desperate attempt to keep the Kashmir issue continuously highlighted.
The attack on the Chief Minister’s residence can be alternatively interpreted as a reiterated rejection by the militants of the Mufti’s healing touch policy. It seems ironic though as the policy not only calls for the release of militants in the state prisons but also for a reduction in the severity of counter infiltration operations along the state border.
The attack also coincides with the visit of a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Association is in the State to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the attack on the State legislative assembly. The attack and the target the militants chose would fervently express to an outsider, like nothing else, just how contentious the issue still is.
Thus it is important to trace the symbolism and nature of the attack while also realizing that this would probably the first of many attacks that can be expected in the coming months.
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