Security lessons for 2017 from Pathankot, Uri

Year gone by: As 2016 enters the last phase, we capture some of the defining moments

A burning Kashmir or a Pathankot-like terror strike is the last thing the security establishment would want in 2017. Such incidents question the government’s strategy and preparedness.

The authorities will also have to keep a close watch on the communal situation, as several electorally important states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat go to polls in 2017. Another concern will be to prevent the Islamic State (IS) from gaining traction among the youth.

The year 2016 began with a jolt when four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists from Pakistan sneaked into an airbase in Pathankot, where they hid for more than 24 hours before launching a strike that killed seven and injured 37.

The incident prompted the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs to tersely tell the government there was “something seriously wrong” with the country's counter-terror mechanism as it was “so ill-prepared to anticipate” threats and “counter them swiftly and decisively.”

The Pathankot strike and the Uri army camp attack in September, which claimed 19 army personnel, exposed the need for better security, especially given the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

In Kashmir, disturbances continued for months following the encounter of suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in July. Kashmiri youth erupted in anger and pelted stones, attracting international headlines. The use of pellet guns by security forces, blinding scores of people, also caught world attention.

Activists and the Opposition pressured the government to use less lethal weapons to deal with protesters in the Valley.

Though the government did not completely ban pellets, it instructed the forces to use them only in grave situations. The Supreme Court also said pellet guns should not be used “indiscriminately” without “proper application of mind.”

One of the biggest challenges before the Narendra Modi government in the coming year would be to regain the confidence of Kashmiris and ensure that such protests do not disturb the calm.

IS threat

Though the government has managed the IS threat this year, it can’t rest on its laurels. The NIA has so far arrested 68 youths with suspected terror links, 50 this year alone. Maharashtra and Telangana with 11 each and Karnataka with seven top the list.

The dreaded terror organisation could continue to lure youth for jihad; the government will have to initiate community as well as security measures to defeat the IS agenda. Though there were no spectacular attacks by Maoists this year, the forces cannot lower their guard, given the capabilities of the rebels.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will have to encourage states to take up modernisation of their police forces and prisons. The need for prison modernisation is apparent: in two jail breaks, suspected terrorists escaped in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.