Valley of Fear

Fayaz Bukhari

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi in power, Kashmir has seen worst violence in a decade making it clear that his muscular approach towards the troubled State and Pakistan is not working.

Kashmiri villagers at the funeral prayers of the local militant that gunned down Shujaat Bukhari

This year saw the worst violence in a decade in which 416 people including 78 civilians, 90 security force personnel and 248 militants were killed in Kashmir. This is the worst in a decade as last time in 2008, 505 people were killed in Kashmir including 91 civilians, 75 security force personnel and 339 militants.

The number of deaths in militant violence in Kashmir dropped to 99 in 2012, lowest in the decade. The deaths include 11 civilians, 38 security force personnel and 50 militants but since then it has been rising, especially, after the surgical strikes.

Special Forces of the army in 2016 conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LC) in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in which the Modi government boasted of destroying militant launch pads and killing of scores of militants who were in training camps and at launch pads. The strikes were carried out after deadly fidayeen strike on Uri Brigade headquarters in which 17 army personnel were killed and around two dozens were injured.

In 2015, 164 people including 17 civilians, 39 security force personnel and 108 militants were killed in Kashmir but it shot up in 2016 when surgical strikes, aimed at reducing violence, were conducted.

In 2016, 247 people including 15 civilians, 82 security force personnel and 150 militants were killed in Kashm