DNA Edit: Assault on democracy – ISI will stop at nothing to destabilise the Valley

If Pakistan is consistent about anything, it is in its regular back-stabbing of India. Its spy agency, ISI, is working overtime to target Indian soldiers stationed in the Valley. It is believed that the murder of Army jawan Aurangzeb, whose bullet-scarred body was spotted in J&K’s Kalampora in Pulwama district, hours after his abduction, was orchestrated by ISI. Aurangzeb was on his way home to celebrate Eid with his family when assailants kidnapped him at gunpoint. ISI’s objective is clear: First, it will continue to test India’s patience and magnanimity, in the hope of derailing the government’s peace efforts. And, second, it is sending a message to the Kashmiri youths and their families in order to dissuade them from joining the Indian Army. Those who killed Aurangzeb in cold blood – he was shot in the neck and back – are gun-toting cowards who are unnerved by the Indian Army’s anti-terror operations.

The ISI is aware that Pakistan’s military is no match for India’s defence forces. Hence, it is resorting to proxy war by encouraging cross-border terrorism and instigating Kashmiri youth to pick up arms against Indian army jawans. It is scared of the progress that the unilateral ceasefire has made – there is a fall in the number of Kashmiri youths joining military outfits. ISI-sponsored terror outfits are resorting to killings in a desperate bid to revive their diminishing clout in the Valley. They want to establish a reign of terror by systematically eliminating those who are opposing their criminal designs.

Aurangzeb did it with the gun, and Shujaat Bukhari, the Editor of Rising Kashmir daily, did it with his pen. In his long, fruitful career as a journalist, Bukhari enjoyed a certain standing in society. He was a part of the Track II diplomatic process with Pakistan that aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries. Predictably, Pakistan has paid lip service to the idea of peace by condemning his murder, but in that too, Islamabad tried to seek mileage. Bukhari and Aurangzeb’s deaths will not go in vain; the people of Kashmir must ensure that. Kashmir needs many more Bukharis and Aurangzebs to act as a bulwark against terrorism. Rising Kashmir’s tribute to Bukhari sums up his sacrifice succinctly: “Fearless journalist pays price for upholding the truth.”

For Union Home Minister Singh, a decision to end the ceasefire will have consequences on the Amarnath Yatra. He will have to beef up security for the safety of the pilgrims. Last year, terrorists had attacked a bus carrying devotees and killed eight people. The situation seems quite fluid now, given that terrorists will stop at nothing to carry out their agenda, and ordinary people are yearning for peace after decades of bloodletting. The impunity with which terrorists have been striking, if not dealt with severely, will further accentuate cross-border infiltration. ISI will never back off since bleeding India with a thousand cuts is its sole credo. For India, the Kashmir issue is about one step forward, and two steps backward.