So Hafiz ‘Bhai’ now wants to further legitimize terror, its employment as a strategic tool, continue escaping the ban placed on him by various international organizations and nations and exploit the emerging political space in Pakistan. The formula for this is simple; just float a political party. Hafiz Saeed, the man in question here is commonly known as the Chief of the Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) now called the Jamat ul Dawa (JuD),  after the  US and later the UN bans  placed against him. The proposed party is to be named Milli Muslim League Pakistan. What is all this about why is he doing this?

It is not difficult to assess Saeed’s intent but a little background always helps. A nobody, he was picked out by General Zia ul Haq in early Eighties to be an Islamic studies teacher and thereafter made his way to Saudi Arabia where he came under the influence of returning mujahideen from Afghanistan and the Ahle Hadith sect. On return, along with Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, the mentor of Al Qaida he founded the Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad (MDI). Azzam was a rabid Palestinian heavy on jihad and Saeed’s orientation can be traced to him. In all probability the MDI was part funded by the ISI and part by elements of the Ahle Hadith, no doubt with sponsorship of Abdullah Azam. It became the ideological element for the launch of so called jihad in J&K. In 1990 it gave rise to the Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) again inspired by the needs of the ISI based on the grandiose plans of Zia ul Haq to launch a war of a thousand cuts against India. The LeT formed the militant arm of the MDI and has undergone change of name more times than one can remember due to international bans and sanctions against it.

It has taken long for Saeed to realize that he could be a rabble rouser and a ‘friendly terrorist’ for the larger Deep State as long as he was useful to the ISI. With the changing political environment of Pakistan, uncertainty about the political dispensation after next year’s general elections and the fickle state of the world order, wherein alliances are yet un-cemented, being just the head of a friendly terrorist organization may not be enough in terms of lasting capability. The idea that his organization, with its ideological arm of the MDI and the militant arm of the LeT (JuD) would exercise no genuine power and continue to act at the whims of the state has dawned on him rather late. Possibly his faculties were dulled by the street power that the MDI can today exercise in terms of recruitment rallies and fund raising campaigns. This realization has led him to believe that without a political face to his organization he would always be at someone else’s mercy. Direct power can only be exercised through the political route and an opportunity seems to be emerging on Pakistan’s political canvas. The Bhutto inspired Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is a pale shadow of the past and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), the property of the Sharif family, has clearly got the ire of the Pakistan Army. Imran Khan’s Tehreek e Insaaf (TeI) hardly has pan Pakistan reach and Imran’s own personal reputation is questionable. In Oct 2016, Pakistan daily Dawn reported that a PML-N lawmaker, Rana Muhammad Afzal had questioned why Saeed was being mollycoddled at the cost of Pakistan’s international image and the inability to withstand criticism of the JuD’s role in Kashmir. Saeed’s appreciation of the situation probably led him to conclude that before many more Rana Afzals emerge to question his credentials it was safest to create a political space for himself.

It is unknown whether MDI/JuD combine can pass muster to register as a political party in Pakistan’s yet to mature political system but clearly what Saeed is looking for is an escape route and greater legitimacy to protect his fiefdom which he has created with much care. If a Prime Minister of the main party from heartland Punjab could be brought down by the Supreme Court so could Saeed’s empire wither at orders of someone in authority who found him no longer useful.

There is no guarantee that Saeed’s move will take him through to a position of political legitimacy. If it does then the next question will be whether it will translate into seats. Pakistan’s electorate has shown a penchant for electing ‘feudals’ but not radicals. However, in five years much has changed in the Islamic world and after Mumtaz Qadri gained iconic status as the assassin of  Punjab Governor Salman Taseer what can one say of Pakistan and its electorate.

For India, the acceptance of the JuD/MDI as a political party under the Pakistan Constitution will give one more piece of evidence of the state involvement in the proxy activities in Kashmir. However, given the geo-strategic importance that international players accord to Pakistan, the evidence is likely to remain lost in the maze of the grey zone that Pakistan has successfully created in relation to its dubious activities.                                  

New Delhi, August 4

The Army has formulated a policy on the use of social media by its serving personnel which lists out dos and don’ts, the government said on Friday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Defence Ministry Subhash Bhamre said the guidelines have been issued primarily to ensure security of information and avoid its manipulation or distortion.

“The Indian Army has promulgated the policy on the use of social media by serving Army personnel, organisations which list out the dos and don’ts guidelines and content which are barred from being posted on social media platforms,” Bhamre said.

He said violations of above guidelines are investigated by the units and formations concerned.

The social media policy comes in the backdrop of reports about soldiers airing their grievance on social media.

Following such complaints, the Army also came up with a WhatsApp number where soldiers can post their problems which will be directly addressed to Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat instead of going to social media.

In response to another question, Bhamre said 14,63,512 youths applied to the Indian Army since 2014.

He said, replying to another question, a panel has been set up to examine and give their recommendations on the changes in the promotion policy and Quantified System of Selection (QSS) for officers of the Army.

The two-member panel comprises retired Army officers Lt Gen G S Khatoch and Lt Gen A K Ahuja. PTI

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A man condemns the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims. PTI/File

Srinagar, July 15

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday arrested People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Aijaz Ahmad Mir’s driver in connection with the recent Amarnath Yatra terror attack on pilgrims.Touseef Ahmad was picked up by the police for questioning today.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechdSuperintendent of Police (SP), Shopian, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar, said: “Touseef was co-operating with the investigators. He was deputed as a driver some seven months ago from the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. He has been detained in a terrorism-related case.”Earlier in the week, seven people were killed and 20 others were injured after terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar around 8.20 p.m. on Monday night. —ANI

Syed Ata Hasnain

Syed Ata Hasnain, a retired lieutenant-general, is a former commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps. He is also associated with the Vivekananda International Foundation and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Though the yatra is based on Hindu belief and tradition, there is something deeply inclusive about it.

 Security person stand guard after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: PTI)

The Amarnath yatra is one of those iconic annual pilgrimages many Indians look to undertake at least once in their lifetime. What is the yatra all about? Located far into Kashmir’s lofty mountains, at the virtual confluence of the Kishtwar and the Great Himalayan ranges, is this huge unusual rock cavern on the face of the hillside with a deep cave comprising a large icicle. Tradition has it that the icicle symbolises Lord Shiva, and the cave is the place where he shared the secrets of his immortality with wife Goddess Parvati. The icicle, shaped in a phallic form, remains intact through most of summer. In July-August each year, over 300,000 pilgrims (it touched 640,000 in 2011, and come down since) travel long distances to finally get an opportunity to walk, ride or be carried to the holy cave along some treacherous high-altitude mountainous routes. Though the yatra is based on Hindu belief and tradition, there is something deeply inclusive about it. The vast logistics for the challenging journey include the major involvement of Kashmiri Muslims, many of whom also equally revere Lord Shiva. The yatra gives sustenance to many Kashmiris and adds to the state’s tourist economy, The journey involves a long drive from Jammu to either Pahalgam (Chandanwari) or Baltal, the two bases, and then a walk to the holy cave.

The 28-year-old strife triggered by the Pakistan-sponsored proxy war in J&K has created an atmosphere of mistrust between the faiths. This was Pakistan’s basic intent: to deepen the faultlines in India’s inclusive culture, with mutual respect and coexistence between faiths as an essential ingredient. Always wary of India’s strength as a tolerant and inclusive nation, in contrast to its own single-faith non-inclusive culture, Pakistan has aimed to drive a communal wedge with selective acts of terror and propaganda. Pakistan and its anti-India cohorts saw the Amarnath yatra with its iconic and emotive image as an event that can be exploited. The large movement and gathering of pilgrims over six-eight weeks (the yatra ends on Raksha Bandhan each year) can be targeted on the roads anywhere from Jammu to the two bases. Thereafter, the 48-km trek with multiple resting points and camps can also be targeted from multiple mountain tops, where small teams of terrorists can infiltrate. Improvised explosive devices or the use of small arms would suffice to cause a large number of casualties anywhere along these routes.

The yatra’s management involves very detailed logistics but even more demanding is the security cover. The last time a major incident occurred during the yatra was in 2000 when a yatri camp at Pahalgam was targeted by the Lashkar-e-tayyaba, leading to large-scale casualties.

Since 2016, various anti-India elements have chosen to step up the level of violence, and through it exploit unfortunate chinks appearing in India’s inclusive landscape. After this change in the nature of the Kashmir Valley’s proxy war, we have seen terror groups showing no remorse in selecting targets for the perpetration of attention-seeking acts of violence. Unarmed policemen and local Army officers on leave becoming victims is an indicator that there would be no qualms about targeting the yatra for psychological gains and creating deeper schisms in Kashmir and consequently in the rest of India.

On Monday evening, a well-planned ambush near Khanabal, Anantnag, targeted a bus full of yatris returning after darshan from the Baltal camp. The bus apparently moved as a part of a small yatri convoy with escort, but got left behind due to a tyre puncture, and that too without an armed escort at a time when road protection had been lifted. Obviously a lapse in standard operating procedure, but even if the escort was there a deliberate ambush like this would have caused the desired harm even before any escort could react. That underlines the main challenge of securing the yatra, where 100 per cent security may never be achieved. Whether the bus being from Gujarat and all yatris from that state was a factor may never be known. What is needed is a gingering of awareness among the security forces on the types of methods the terror groups could employ. Many of these forces have been deployed from outside the Valley and would not be familiar with the history of violence in the state. Second, no one can treat security in a transactional manner, assuming that once the road protection is lifted, no yatri vehicles will move. There are enough takers for breaching rules, and they can’t be allowed to make themselves targets. These are the chinks in the armour, and the security system must devise robust checkpoints and a no-nonsense approach in tackling errant yatris who may unwittingly risk their lives.

With the social media now a tool in the hands of terror groups and other anti-India elements, the scope for giving spark to deep-rooted sentiments is vastly higher. It is heartening to see this time, though, that the negativity has been comparatively muted. The rare political consensus, that could be temporary, has added weight to the mitigation of the terrorist intent and that of their sponsors. Even in Kashmir, where alienation has become even more deep-rooted, there has been widespread condemnation for this horrific act. This has helped to soothe the increasingly charged environment in the rest of India. The temperature on the social media, which these days serves as a barometer of public opinion, was comparatively more mature and condemnatory towards the terrorists than towards a community. No doubt the right choice of words by political leaders was a great facilitator for the harmony displayed.

Yatra 2017 is just three weeks old and will continue till almost mid-August. While security can hardly ever be foolproof, the efforts towards achieving such a state must receive the total attention of the authorities. War-gaming contingencies down to the lowest levels even as they remain deployed must be done in earnest. Securitymen unaware of the actual threats are more a constraint on the system than any help.

An attempt to test India’s nerves as pinpricks on its borders continue is part of a larger gameplan of the deep-set hybrid conflict both China and Pakistan have launched against it. Their failure to achieve the desired ends due to India’s public and political maturity must send a strong message. India too must be prepared to tackle bigger challenges, with this incident having steeled national nerves.T

http://www.asianage.com/opinion/oped/130717/after-yatra-attack-act-with-maturity.html

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9

India today hit out at Pakistan for glorifying slain Kashmiri terrorist Burhan Wani on his death anniversary. The Pakistan establishment, starting from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif onwards, has played the Burhan Wani card and called him an inspiration for the freedom struggle of Kashmir.“The blood rendered by Burhan Muzaffar Wani has infused a new spirit in the freedom movement. The Kashmiri people are steadfast to take their movement to logical conclusion,” Pakistan PM Sharif said on Saturday.Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted in response to an earlier tweet which mentioned Pakistan army chief praising Burhan Wani.“First Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson read from banned LeT’s script. Now Pakistan’s COAS glorifies Burhan Wani. Pakistan’s terror support and sponsorship needs to be condemned by one and all,” Baglay said.He was referring to the tweets of Pakistan army spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, who said army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had reportedly eulogised Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8, the day he was killed in an encounter with Indian security forces in Kashmir last year.“Kashmiris have right of self-determination. Sacrifices of Burhan Wani and generations against Indian atrocities are a testimony of their resolve,” Ghafoor had tweeted quoting Gen Bajwa on Saturday.Statements from Pakistan come in the backdrop of the US recently designating Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.

Following a significant move by the Centre under the 7th Pay Commission, Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) are now entitled to fly while travelling on work.

“Level 6 to 8 of Pay Matrix to be entitled for air travel. Level 5A of defence forces to be clubbed with Level 6 for travelling entitlements,” the gazette notification issued by the Government on allowances said.

The Union Cabinet had recently approved the recommendations made by the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) with minor modifications. All allowances are effective from July 1.

Level 6 to 8 pertain to the three ranks of JCOs — Naib Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major — in the Army, and their equivalents in the Navy and Air Force.

Level 5A is only in the Navy, forming an intermediary level between Junior Warrant Officer and Warrant Officer in the Air Force. “This entitlement is for travel on temporary or permanent movement,” one Air Force JCO said.

JCOs constitute a small fraction in the military and form the bridge between the officers and Other Ranks (ORs).