Havildar Ashiq Hussain Qureshi of the third battalion of Shamir Rangers was shot dead at close range by a terrorist at Lal Chowk in Anantnag

The killing of a havildar on Amarnath Yatra duty in the southern district of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley is an indication of the fact that terrorism is not yet over in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Havildar Ashiq Hussain Qureshi of the third battalion of Kashmir Rangers was shot dead by a terrorist at Lal Chowk in Anantnag. According to media reports, Qureshi was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag where doctors declared him brought dead.

This is the first such terror incident in which a Kashmiri has been targeted since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 last year. Following the incident, security forces launched a massive search and rescue operation in four districts — Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam — in which around 2500 people were detained. After preliminary interrogation, 750 people have been detained. The rest have been released. It has been claimed that the assailant has been identified. He is an activist of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Raids are also underway to arrest him.

There were also reports of a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist being killed by security forces in Shopian during the aforementioned raids, but the Jammu and Kashmir Police did not confirm whether he was related to the Anantnag attack. Though the Amarnath Yatra has been suspended due to inclement weather, there has been no relaxation in its security arrangements. The record of the past decade shows that there is a small and big attempt by terrorist groups to disrupt these trips almost every year. It is worth noting that these efforts are no longer proving to be very successful.

Now, the Anantnag incident shows that the terror elements are bound to infiltrate the entire security apparatus. Therefore, it is imperative to make the intelligence apparatus more readily available on the ground. However, all the violent incidents that have taken place since the Pahalgam massacre have been in the form of encounters between infiltrators from Pakistan and security forces. Even if the martyrdom of the security forces is limited, they should be moulded into the 'every life is precious'. Official figures put the number at 14, but also clarified that the five fatalities were not caused by terrorist bullets but by accidents during search operations. Therefore, accident reduction skills should also be made an important part of safety drills.

However, the arrest of around 2500 people after the Anantnag incident also raises some unpleasant questions. On the one hand, the central government has been claiming that Kashmiri militancy is on its last breath, but on the other hand, the detention of such a large number of people from four districts for interrogation is not a direct rebuttal to the claim of 'last breath'? Similarly, how legally is it legally justified to detain 750 people even after initial interrogation? The administrative aspect is that there are very few active militants in the Valley, but their sympathisers are still present in large numbers.

Therefore, interrogation of them sometimes provides clues that could help prevent future attacks. In the context of such a thinking, we are of the opinion that it is not a reasonable strategy to detain such a large number of people after every incident. This tactic gives the impression of coercion and unnecessary coercion. The approach of the security forces should be more professional in such cases. Well, what has happened shows that terrorists are always on the lookout for ambushes.

Therefore, there should be no scope for complacency in their vigilance. But an overly sharp or harsh reaction can cause trouble for the general public. This should be avoided. The fight against terrorism demands restraint and prudence. Such elements should not be sacrificed in the name of rigidity.