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| Dr Sheikh JALAL |
Forces of terror are raising their ugly head in the Kashmir valley
all over again; however there has been a major shift in their strategy.
Militants no longer go after poor villagers of remote areas; they have
little use of such people since only a mass scale operation in rural
areas creates the desired impact and such an operation has become
difficult in view of the reduced strength of their groups, their limited
personal capability and the enhanced vigilance of the people. What
militants now look for is lucrative targets in urban areas; a police
post that is thinly guarded and an eminent personality are considered to
be the most rewarding hits.
It is against this backdrop
that the strike on the eminent cardiologist and former Director SKIMS, Dr Sheikh Jalal-ud-din has to be seen. The Doctor is a respected member
of the Kashmiri society, known for the years of self less service that
he has rendered to the state, his community and humanity in general.
Like other intellectuals of his calibre he also would have been quite
lax so far as his security is concerned considering it to be an
unnecessary appendage; after all, who would want to kill a person who
has only saved lives and not harmed even a fly. The good doctor has for
many long years of his life remained cocooned within the folds of his
noble profession; he had no enemies to be afraid of. It is these very
qualities of the doctor that converted him into a prime target for the
evil forces.
A few days of reconnaissance would have
created the opportunity to go for the attack, the militant were quite
certain that an escape route was easily available. It is the escape
route that is most important for the modern militant who values his life
more than anything else. If this was not the case he would go for a
fidayeen attack on some military post or some big well guarded political
leader, but that would have meant certain death. Going for a soft,
harmless target like Dr Jalal-ud-din fulfilled his sadistic impulses and
personal security requirements; above all, the necessary impact would
be there for all to see and the security forces would be seen as
incapable and inefficient.
It was sheer providence that Dr Jalal-ud-Din Survived the attack even though his two security guards
were not as lucky. It would be difficult to ascertain the complete
sequence of events but it can be said with a reasonable amount of
certainty that the brave policemen performed their duty to the hilt and
managed to keep their charge relatively safe while taking the brunt of
the attack on themselves. Thus the evil plan of the militants got
thwarted What is most distressing is that the militant cadre has lost
the very religious sanctity on the basis of which they launched their
so-called Jihad in the Kashmir valley. Why otherwise would they attack
another Muslim old enough to be their father in the holy month of
Ramadan? Would Dr Jalal have expected in his wildest dreams that
something like this would happen to him at this point in time? What
enmity did these killers have with the person of Dr Jalal and why in the
process did they take the lives of two innocent soldiers? The
conclusion that can be drawn from this unfortunate incident is that the
militant movement in Jammu and Kashmir has completely lost out on its
religious and ideological moorings and has become the den of common
criminals bent upon creating mayhem with the demented view that they
would be able to brow beat the State, its people and the security forces
into submission. In other words, they carry a wholly warped view of
their importance and capability. The only solution is to hunt down these
rats as soon as possible and rid the region from the menace once and
for all. One small step taken in unison would produce the desired
results.
