Sanjha Morcha

US withdrawal from Afghanistan to impact Kashmir, says former DGP

US withdrawal from Afghanistan to impact Kashmir, says former DGP

Youths throw stones at security personnel during clashes in the Valley. Tribune photo

Pune, December 25

Asserting that India should adopt a “clear-cut roadmap” to tackle the Kashmir issue, former DGP of Jammu and Kashmir K Rajendra Kumar has said the US pulling out troops from Afghanistan will have implications in the Valley and terrorist outfits may feel emboldened.

Kumar was delivering the Lalitaditya Memorial Lecture in Pune, organised by the Sarhad organisation. He also said that there was a need to send a stern message to Pakistan for its support to militancy.

“A stern message needs to be sent out to Pakistan in terms of retaliation. We need to make it more costly for Pakistan because today it is not feeling the pinch it should feel,” said Kumar.

He said India should deal strongly with Pakistan over the training camps and terrorist launchpads.

“Now the USA is exiting Afghanistan. It will have implications in Kashmir. It is only a matter of time before we will feel its implications in the Valley. After the US withdrawal, the terrorist organisations will feel pumped up, emboldened,” he said.

Seeing America’s withdrawal as a “sign of victory”, terrorist outfits can feel that New Delhi can also be defeated. So, there is an urgent need for India to adopt a “clear-cut roadmap” to deal with terrorism in Kashmir, he asserted.

The US is planning to withdraw 7,000 troops from Afghanistan. The American troops contribute to training and advising local forces fighting the Taliban and the Islamic State group.

Underling Pakistan’s active role in spreading terrorism in the Valley, the former IPS officer said Pakistan was not only sponsoring terrorism but also sending its nationals to Kashmir in the garb of fighting jihad. “No matter which government is in power, Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorism in the Valley,” he said.

He said militancy in Kashmir started with local terrorist organisations but now it was tilting towards Islamic extremism. “The Valley has a rich history of Sufism but over the years it has moved towards Wahabism,” he said, adding that efforts should be made to take Kashmir back to Sufism.

Suggesting measures, he said the state needed stringent laws to deal with anti-national forces and a concrete policy to encourage youths to give up militancy.

The surrender policy must ensure that youth who give up militancy are gainfully employed and discouraged from returning to it, he said. He also called for political outreach and empowerment of the civil society.

He said the social media had played a destructive role in inciting sentiments of the youth. — PTI