The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : Behind the explosions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

Behind the explosions

The recent terrorist attacks in Srinagar indicate that Kashmiri extremist groups have not lost their sting. The May 17 assault on those attending the funeral of a former militant was the latest in a series of terrorist strikes. While the grenade attack of May 12 was directed at the security services, it was unclear whether the car bomb explosion of May 11 had a specific target. The victims of the three explosions — five dead and 85 wounded — were civilians, many of them heart-rendingly schoolchildren. Al-Nasreen, the militant outfit behind the car bomb, is one of the three organisations violently opposed to the new Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service. With travel across the Line of Control smoothly under way, the hope was that the extremists would be forced to re-think their approach. After all, people on both sides of the LoC warmly welcomed the `soft borders' initiative. The extremists were not expected to turn against the very people they claimed to be fighting for. Al-Nasreen now claims its attack was intended to show that the security situation in the Valley continues to be fragile. This is a self-damning assertion from a group that until recently claimed its objective was the termination of India's control over Kashmir. It is as if the extremists are now declaring that their only purpose is to demonstrate their continued relevance. The message they try to convey is that they retain the capability to disrupt the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan because they have the power to unleash terror on Kashmiris.

What do the extremists really hope to achieve politically through the display of their disruptive capabilities? Are they trying to emphasise they cannot be left out of the negotiating process? Or are they indicating they will not give up their violent ways even if there is progress in the negotiations? At this juncture, it appears the Kashmir issue can be kept under control without changing the territorial jurisdictions India and Pakistan exercise but with a modulated softening of the LoC. Those who fought for Kashmir's `independence' or its accession to Pakistan will naturally find such a solution in progress hard to accept. The infrastructure supporting the extremist movement remains intact on either side of the LoC even though official Pakistan appears to have suspended its active backing of the extremist organisations. There is no reason to doubt the word of General Pervez Musharraf, who has several times reiterated his commitment to a negotiated settlement. In fact, the Pakistan President and his Ministers have tried, over the past few weeks, to make pro-Pakistan groups realise that they have to be realistic in their aspirations. Those striving for a peaceful solution will have to be resolute and patient in dealing with the young men who have pursued unattainable goals over the past several years. However, no tolerance should be shown to those who kill and wound innocent civilians or treat them as tools for the achievement of disruptive political ends.

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