Pulwama Terror: Conspiracy, Execution And Coincidental Revelation Of The Whole Suicidal Mission

By Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikandar, New Age Islam 19 April 2023 As Far As The Saffron Fields: The Pulwama Conspiracy Author: Danesh Rana Publisher: HarperCollins, India Year of Publication: 2022 Pages: 315 Price: Rs 599 ISBN: 9789354895227 ----- The conflict in Kashmir is a violent one. Despite the government claiming time and again that it has triumphed over the violent insurgency and there are not more than two hundred insurgents active in the Valley, the violence time and again raises its ugly head. There are very few stray incidents of Kashmiris opting for suicide missions, and if there are some indigenous suicide bombers they always pointed towards Jaish e Muhammad (JeM). JeM is as notorious as its founder Maulana Masood Azhar who has always believed and encouraged Ghazwa e Hind (War against India), based on some misinterpretation of Prophetic saying. The Prophetic sayings (Hadith) like Quran have been misinterpreted, misused and exploited by people and ideologues with nefarious designs to achieve their political aims. JeM although never in the insurgent history of Kashmir, was a dominant group but it was quite lethal. The various suicide attacks in Kashmir, bear a witness to its lethality. In the recent history the Valentine Day brutal suicide attack in 2019 is a manifestation of the violence that JeM is capable of unleashing. Now there have been doubts, allegations, counter allegations about the aftermath of this attack even from the highest office of Ex Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr Satyapal Malik. This book certainly is not about the politics revolving around the suicide attack, but it uncovers the conspiracy, execution and coincidental revelation of the whole suicidal mission, its actors and supporting members, written in an interesting manner by a senior police official who was involved in unveiling the mission, once it has been executed. The suicide mission executed led to the death of more than forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men. It certainly pointed out to the failure of security agencies, although no responsibility for the failure has been fixed on anyone. There is a conspiracy theory that this attack certainly helped reap political dividends for the ruling regime. Also, it paved the way for the abrogation of special status of J&K. These aspects are not engaged by the author. Fayaz Ahmad Ganie of Nowgam was working as Over Ground Worker (OGW) for militants belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) insurgent group. An encounter between security forces and militants hiding in the house of Ganie took place on 29 March, 2019 in which a Pakistani militant Umar Alawi was gunned down, while his accomplice Sameer Dar of Gundibagh, Pulwama was successful in escaping, giving a slip to the security forces. At the encounter site, a damaged mobile phone was recovered belonging to slain Umar Alawi. This damaged phone that was sent for data recovery would after few months spill the beans about the Pulwama, to be precise Lethpora suicide attack. Umar Alawi did not share anything about the suicide attack, but his phone provided enough evidence to book the surviving conspirators. The book reads like a thriller except the fact that all the characters of the book are real persons who walked in flesh and blood. The suicide bomber Sameer Ahmad Dar’s journey from being a petty boy of Kakapora, Pulwama to his radicalization and being convinced to carryout the suicide mission is a great revelation about understanding the pull factors that violent conflict has at driving the youth to embrace death as a form of salvation. The demographic details of Kakapora village that nurtured Sameer the suicide bomber is given. Killings, dirty work of spying and other issues related to the insurgency are deliberated in this book, but the author Danesh Rana confesses that money trail in this suicide bombing has not been traced. It means that the variegated agencies working on this case failed to identify the people or institutions that funded this suicide mission. Money is very important for the success of any insurgency and counter insurgency, so the dirty and unaccounted money is used both by state and non-state actors to fuel, flare and extinguish the flames of insurgency. The suicide attack and its aftermath are discussed with very precise details. In any insurgency and particularly in a suicide attack, a number of players, characters and actors are involved for variegated roles. It starts with the ideologues, then the work is executed by the radicalizers on ground. There are strong push factors that involve youth with radicalization, given the fact that Kashmir being the highest militarized zone in the world, the abrasions with the army and police certainly leave deep unhealed scars in the minds and bodies of youth. These scars are exploited by the radicalizers who reinforce the hurt, that ultimately pushes the vulnerable youth towards violence. Then these youth are inducted as OGWs so that they can gain the trust of the insurgent groups. These OGWs help the insurgents stay in safe houses, transport them and their goods and ultimately join the insurgent ranks. Ashiq Nengroo was one such character who helped transport the militants from one place to another and now has escaped to Pakistan. The involvement of virtual spaces and dark net cannot be discounted in the insurgency. ISIS used this tool very effectively to appeal to Muslims to join its violent terror group. In case of Pulwama attack, the use of online virtual radicalization has not been explored, but certainly a chance discovery of a mobile phone coincidentally helped the security agencies to unearth the deep rooted conspiracy. Umar Alwai was ultimately trapped by his excessive utilization of Cellphone. The book also discusses another failed suicide attack orchestrated under the leadership of HM commander Riyaz Naikoo, to replicate Lethpora but it failed to achieve its goals. This book certainly is a very good addition to the literature on suicide attacks in Kashmir. But the demerits of being an official narrative cannot be discounted, plus the reasons why youth choose the terror, violent and suicidal path are not discussed. Unless there is not an engagement with the real causes for violence, the mere documentation will prove to be a journalistic exercise. Also, the Islamophobic description of Nengroo, does not go well with the academic credentials, but depicts the bias and prejudice of the author while stereotyping beard and madrasas, “His look, complete with a beard that reached his neck, was that of the quintessential Islamic teacher or clerk working in a seminary of terror.” (P-56) Also there are some details that are wrongly mentioned, like 30 July 2016 has been given as the date of death of charismatic militant leader Burhan Wani and his two associates, whereas the correct date is 8 July. Similarly, Kal Baafi has been mentioned as carpet, whereas it means carpet making. Overall the book is a good read and should be read to understand the Lethpora suicide attack, that shook the core of security agencies and took India and Pakistan to the brink of war. ---- M.H.A. Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir. URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/pulwama-terror-conspiracy-execution-suicidal-mission/d/129599 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism