The Pulwama attack is not a time for revenge as is already happening in many parts of the country. Yesterday, vehicles from Kashmir valley were attacked and set on sire. Curfew was declared in Jammu. Today, students from Kashmir valley were attacked in different parts of the country. Let me make it clear at the outset that Kashmiris in general have nothing to do with the Pulwama attack. The failure of Kashmir is collective failure of the country. To put the blame on Kashmiris alone is lying to ourselves.
Coming to the particular attack in Pulwama is due to the failure of security agencies, as the attacker was under the radar of J&K security agencies.
The Print reported ,
“According to sources in the Jammu & Kashmir police, Dar, a local from Gandibagh, Pulwama, was a class 11 student when he joined the JeM. A police source said he had been on the radar of J&K police ever since he started “ground work” for the terror outfit and was among those who were part of the early stone-throwers in the Valley. “He was highly radicalised and joined JeM while he was a student,” said the police source.”
The Quint reported that CRPF demanded that the Jawans be airlifted but was refused permission
“A grieving CRPF jawan told The Quint on the condition of anonymity after the fidayeen attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir on 14 February which killed 40 jawans. The convoy comprised over 2,500 CRPF personnel travelling in 78 vehicles. It turns out the CRPF had indeed requested air transit for the jawans to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) earlier this week. However, the request was ignored.”
How come the attacker procured hundreds of kgs of explosives, procured a car, planned this elaborate terrorist attack on a high security convoy? There was intelligence information from the 8th February about such an attack. Why it was overlooked and why responsible officers did not act?
The responsibility should not be left to just the officers in charge. Remember J & K is under Governor’s rule. Home minister Rajnath Singh is directly responsible for this intelligence failure. So is National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Ajit Doval. Ultimately Prime Minister Narendra Modi is responsible for this intelligence failure. The Modi government should answer these questions, take responsibility and Modi should resign.
Even after the tragedy, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not take it as a priority. As the event happened he was on capaign trail in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. There he made some rhetorical statements against the terrosists. However, he didn’t find time to attend the all party meeting convened in Delhi to discuss about the attack. Instead he was campaigning in Maharashtra! Modi was on his 56 inch mode, while the opposition parties were in Delhi propping up his 56 inch chest!
Kashmirs living in Jammu and Indian main land don’t have to bear the brunt of this failure. Why don’t the opposition parties don’t question the security failure? Time is not for revenge but for soul searching and accountability for whoever failed in their responsibilities. That’s what India should do in memory of the poor departed souls.
Binu Mathew is the editor of Countercurrents.org