There has been a significant reduction in the number of Kashmiri youth joining militant groups in the newly created union territory, according to official data tabled in the parliament.
According to official data, the trend of new militancy is losing sheen especially after the central government heightened the presence of security forces in the Valley even as the communication remains blocked partially and internet is out of bounds.
Reports said the recruitment of Kashmiri youth into militancy has declined this year compared to the last two years, “There has been a steep fall in local recruitment since the central government imposed a clampdown when it scrapped Article 370 on 5 August,” reports said.
According to multiple reports and official data, at least 110 Kashmiri youths, mostly from south Kashmir, have joined various militant outfits in 2019, including 36 from just one district — Pulwama.
Data shows that 128 local youngsters joined the militant outfits in 2017 while the number had shot up to 209 in the next year.
However, since the clampdown was imposed, two youths have joined in August, eight in September and six in October, according to the defence agencies, reports said.
Of the figure of 110, as many as 46 youngsters joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and 34 joined the Jaish-e-Mohammed, while 22 enlisted themselves with the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir saw three local recruitments this year.
“The local recruitment has actually come down. After the Burhan Wani encounter in 2016, there was a gradual increase in local terror recruitment, but this is coming down,” a senior security officer said.
This marks a significant turnaround for security agencies in the fight against militancy in Kashmir where an eerie calm prevails and the number of gun battles between security forces and militants has also gone down significantly.
Jammu and Kashmir is currently under President's rule. The assembly of the erstwhile state was dissolved on November 2018 after the ruling coalition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) fell apart in June 2018.
The Valley has remained under lockdown for over three months since the abrogation of the Article 370 by the BJP-led Centre and a sweeping crackdown on not just militants but even mainstream parties like National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party with former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti under detention.
An array of political leaders, businessmen, lawyers, activists and others have also been confined to Srinagar’s MLA hostel which has been declared as a sub-jail by the UT administration. According to reports, some of these leaders were allowed to make brief visits to their homes while some may be released as well.
The central government has not made any announcement yet on the charges under which the mainstream leaders and others have been arrested, and whether and when they will be released, although the release seems to pave way for restoration of political process in the state.