Fear and loathing in Jammu & Kashmir

In the wake of the horrific massacre at Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow on 22 April, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists and a local pony ride operator and left 16 others injured, security agencies have intensified efforts to dismantle the terrorist ecosystem in the Kashmir Valley. The broad-sweep measures include the demolition of homes of identified local terrorists and mass detentions — of about 2,000 people, who police allege are associates or sympathisers of terrorist groups, primarily in south Kashmir.

The demolition of the family homes of identified local terrorists began on the night of 24 April — two days after the Pahalgam massacre — in Gurre village of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. It started with the family home of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Adil Ahmad Thoker, who according to the police was one of those involved in the Pahalgam attack.

The family home of another suspect, Asif Sheikh — also a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba — was blown up in Tral, in neighbouring Pulwama district. At the time of writing, 10 houses, mostly in the south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, had been destroyed through controlled blasts.

Another house was demolished in Kalaroos, Kupwara, an area bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This house belonged to the family of one Farooq Teewda, who crossed into Pakistan in the early 1990s and never returned. His family claims they have been unfairly targeted, as they no longer have any connection with Farooq. “Thirty-five years have passed since Farooq left home. To us, he is as good as dead. Even the house that was blown up no longer belongs to him,” one of his relatives told National Herald.

The damage has extended beyond the targeted structures. In several cases, neighbouring houses have developed cracks due to the explosions. “Our house was also damaged by the blast. It has developed cracks and windowpanes have shattered,” said a resident of Murran village in Pulwama, where the house of active terrorist Ahsan-ul Haq Sheikh was destroyed late on the night of 26 April.

According to the police, Sheikh had gone to Pakistan in 2018 and recently infiltrated into the Valley. “The perpetrators of the gruesome attack on tourists must be nabbed and brought to justice. But a house where a family, including women and children, lives should not be destroyed in this way. The family member who has chosen the path of violence must face the law, but punishing his entire family is not justifiable,” said another resident of the village.

Several prominent leaders have voiced their concern over the destruction of the family houses of terrorists. Chief minister Omar Abdullah cautioned against “any misplaced action" that alienates people. “Punish the guilty, show them no mercy, but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage,” he said. Former chief minister and PDP (People’s Democratic Party) leader Mehbooba Mufti urged "careful distinction" between terrorists and civilians.

Her post on social media platform X reads: ‘The government of India must tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians… It must not alienate innocent people, especially those opposing terror. There are reports of thousands being arrested and scores of houses of common Kashmiris being demolished along with those of militants. Appeal [the] government to direct the authorities to take care that innocent people are not made to feel the brunt as alienation aids terrorists’ goals of division and fear.’

Separatist leader and Muslim cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has also urged the government not to punish innocent Kashmiri families. ‘While Kashmiris collectively condemn the heinous crime at Pahalgam, and it is imperative to bring its perpetrators to justice, indiscriminate arrests and videos circulating on social media of the demolition of houses and neighbourhoods are disturbing and distressing. I urge the authorities, in seeking justice for the innocent victims, not to punish innocent Kashmiri families,’ Mirwaiz wrote on X.

Some have also questioned the legality of the demolitions. Prominent lawyer Syed Riyaz Khawar said: “Under the law, the state cannot demolish the houses of an accused or convict.” Referring to a Supreme Court judgement, he said the court has banned ‘bulldozer justice’.

Khawar wrote on Facebook: ‘The state can attach property belonging to an accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, if the property is in his name and only after due legal process. The Supreme Court, in the Prayagraj demolition case, warned that compensation for the victim must be recovered from the salary of the official responsible for such an act, and the state must also compensate the victim. It further held that such actions amount to contempt of court. The ongoing demolitions are, therefore, contempt of the Supreme Court.’

In a conversation with National Herald, Khawar said, “Whatever happened in Pahalgam is truly heartbreaking and deeply painful. Kashmiris have expressed their grief over the loss of these innocent lives. They took to the streets and protested against the terrorists responsible for this barbaric act. The perpetrators must be brought to justice, but justice must also extend to the Kashmiri people. They should not be punished collectively or made collateral damage. It is the responsibility of the Union government to ensure that no citizen from the Valley is harmed anywhere in the country. Sadly, the government has failed to protect our students and traders outside.”

News reports and videos emerging from various parts of the country — particularly from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra — indicate that Kashmiri students, traders and professionals are being harassed, intimidated, even physically attacked.

Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Srinagar-based Jammu & Kashmir Students' Association, told National Herald: “This entire situation was fuelled by right-wing groups and certain national news channels that continuously spread hate against Kashmiris in particular and Muslims in general after the Pahalgam tragedy. There were assaults on Kashmiri students, creating widespread fear and panic. More than 500 students returned home within a week of the attack.”

Another incident in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie, where Kashmiri shawl vendors were assaulted, has caused fear among Kashmiri traders. According to reports, 16 other Kashmiri traders have been threatened and forcibly evicted from their rented accommodation. A video showing the assault on some shawl vendors has gone viral on social media, sparking anger in the Valley.

Expressing his distress, People’s Conference leader and MLA Sajad Lone, wrote on X: ‘This is going too far. Videos of Kashmiris being assaulted are on social media. I wonder what the police in these states [is] doing. Cowardly thugs can be seen slapping shawl sellers from Kashmir. The incident has taken place in Mussoorie. Request @AmitShah to please intervene.’

A student delegation led by Khuehami met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, during his visit to Srinagar. “We informed Rahulji about the increasing incidents of harassment, intimidation and the threat calls received by Kashmiri students in various parts of the country. He gave us a patient hearing and assured us that he would bring these issues to the notice of the prime minister and the Union home minister,” Khuehami said.

Another point of unease is the recent deportation of 60 women, mostly from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, who were married to Kashmiri men. These men had crossed into Pakistan or Muzaffarabad in the early 1990s for arms training but later settled there.

Authorities picked up these women from the districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara, Budgam and Shopian, and escorted them in buses to Punjab for handover to Pakistani authorities. Besides the women from PoK, the authorities also deported 11 Pakistani nationals who entered India on valid visas nearly 45 years ago, and stayed on illegally in Mendhar and Poonch.

“I believe a grave injustice has been done to these women, who had become an integral part of Kashmir’s social fabric. They are bonded to this place through marriage and have raised children here. They have been living peacefully for decades along with their husbands and children. They should not have been deported,” Raja Muzaffar Bhat, a prominent social activist, told National Herald.

“Most of these women were from PoK, which is Indian territory as per our Constitution. Our Parliament has passed a resolution affirming that PoK is part of India. Additionally, the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly has reserved seats for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Most of the women had entered Kashmir under the 2010 rehabilitation policy for former militants. At that time they were allowed to enter J&K and live here. So these women cannot be considered Pakistani nationals, and they should not have been deported,” Bhat emphasised.