Mohd Irfan
Advocate Ankur Sharma, National President of the Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal (ESBD), has lambasted the BJP government for its failure to curb terrorism in Jammu. In an interview, Sharma, whose newly formed political party contested the recent Lok Sabha Elections-2024, strongly criticized the central government’s approach to dealing with terrorism. He accused the administration of allowing radicalization and indoctrination to flourish in Jammu, leading to a surge in terror attacks. Sharma argued that flawed policies have resulted in an increase in such incidents and called for a change in the government’s strategy to tackle terrorism.
Q: How do you see the recent terror attacks across the Jammu region? What is your opinion on this?
A: There has been a total failure on the part of the central government regarding its policy on terrorism in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It has been proven that the BJP government has failed to curb terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Government’s claim that an increase in tourist footfall in Kashmir had led to a downward trend in terrorism, this is contrary to the facts on the ground. Ending terrorism through statistics alone is inadequate, as such incidents of terror are bound to occur.
If there were 700 terrorists in 2023 and only 300 remained in 2024, the government uses this statistic to claim a decline in the terror graph. If the government continues with such an approach, these attacks will continue, resulting in the loss of precious lives. The lack of policies to address radicalization and indoctrination, which has led to these terror incidents.
Reflecting on past events, Ankur mentioned that a UN counter-terrorism committee, in a dossier submitted by the Joint Secretary, reported a steep increase in terror activities after 2021. Before the dossier was submitted, the government had claimed that terrorism had ended in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minister’s statement was false, and the central government contradicted itself. Unfortunately, the government has politicized terrorism. Incidents of killings will continue due to the government’s flawed policies on terrorism, coupled with the lack of vigilance over terror-producing factories, which the government views as mainstream and has given immunity.
Taking a jab at the government, Sharma noted that when people were gunned down by terrorists, the government only sent security forces to target them on the roads, not at the sources where terrorism is nurtured. Why the government does not neutralize these sources. The government is not ready to accept the occurrence of radicalization and indoctrination, nor does it have an appeasement policy. The central government for all the incidents happening in Jammu.
Q: In Jammu, there have been repeated attacks, including in Doda, Katra, and Reasi, even a bus carrying pilgrims to Shiv Khori was targeted. The police say not to panic, but given the present situation, what should people do?
A: Police did not come to save Hindus during the exodus from Kashmir, nor did the Indian Army. Around 500,000 people were forced to leave Kashmir due to genocide, which the government downplayed as “migration”. It is difficult to trust the authorities given their policies. Jammu has now become a target for terrorists, similar to how Srinagar was previously targeted by Islamists. The central government physically connected the Pir Panjal area with Kashmir, facilitating the spread of terrorism through the opening of the Sinthan and Mughal roads. The central government acts as a “B team” of Pakistan, weakening those loyal to the country, particularly in Jammu. Both Hindus and Muslims who remain loyal to India have been undermined by the government. The government of manipulating census data in Jammu to politically disempower the region, harassing nationalist communities while strengthening separatist elements. The government aims to reduce the number of terrorist killings each year, but this approach will not end terrorism. The ongoing radicalization and indoctrination, supported by a pervasive internal structure, are not being addressed by the government. The Indian government operates in this manner, neglecting the root causes and driving forces behind these incidents. This is a baffling and concerning aspect that needs serious consideration.
Q: On June 16th, the Home Minister is going to convene a meeting. What do you say about this?
A: This is merely an eyewash. The government has fundamental flaws in its policy. In reality, there is a jihadist war and genocide of Hindus, but the government is in denial and not ready to accept this. Without demolishing the internal support structure, how can they end terrorism? Several meetings have been held, but they amounted to nothing more than enjoying tea and samosas without any conclusive results. Terrorism has now spread from Kashmir to Jammu, targeting innocent lives rather than security forces. The Amarnath Yatra is also under threat. In Zeda village of Kathua district, bovine smuggling has taken place, and people who highlighted this menace were killed, yet the perpetrators remain unidentified. He mocked the Prime Minister’s statement about an increase in tourist footfall, suggesting it was a move solely for political gain and shameful given the current situation.
Q: These BJP leaders say terror attacks occur due to the nefarious designs of Pakistan. but are not ready to accept the intelligence failure since the terrorists came from across the border. What is your take on this?
A: This is not an intelligence failure, as the security forces cannot be held responsible. Instead, it is an internal support structure endorsed by the central government. We have urged the government to ban several organizations responsible for radicalization and indoctrination, but they have not acted. Security forces are not allowed to inspect institutions where radicalization occurs. Over the past ten years, we have observed that religious institutions involved in hawala money transactions and ideological propagation are not being checked, as the government fears backlash. How can you hold the security forces responsible in such a scenario? This is a million-dollar question that begs an answer. The government is to blame for all these incidents because they are not ready to change their policy. They are only concerned with the level of violence, focusing on the number of casualties without addressing the root causes. The terrorism in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir cannot end as long as these flawed policies continue.
Q: As you know, the Supreme Court has instructed the Election Commission to hold assembly elections in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir before September 2024. Do you think the terrorist attacks will delay the election process?
A: It remains to be seen what the government’s decision will be regarding the assembly elections. Parliamentary elections were held, with the claim that everything was under control. However, given the current state of affairs, anything can happen at any time. There are threats looming in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, and all ten districts of the UT. Rajouri and Poonch have become separatist centers because the central government has delimited the districts with terrorist areas of Kashmir. Jammu is being disempowered based on a fraudulent census, and the government’s failure to ban radical organizations has resulted in such incidents.
For the central government, the center of power is Kashmir, not Jammu, and they attribute terrorism solely to Pakistan, ignoring the internal support structure. They claim to fight terrorism but focus on increasing tourism in Kashmir. The government portrays that it has given jobs to the Kashmir Pandit community, while in reality, they are treated poorly and are confined to certain areas. Hotel room rates in Kashmir have skyrocketed, indicating flawed policies. According to Sharma, terrorism will not end in the near future. The strength of terrorism has increased, and the internal support structure in Jammu is fully functional, with incidents of drone activity and smuggling. Out of 100 incidents, only one is reported, and drugs are being sold to children, which shows the government’s utter failure.
Sharma urged the masses to be aware and vigilant before choosing their leaders in the elections. He emphasized that those elected often do not become the voice of the people after assuming power, failing to protect the gullible masses. With the looming threat, the electorate must choose wisely.
