Despite booming tourism, killings continue in Kashmir

Official figures said so far said 180 militants, 31 security personnel and 31 civilians have been killed in Jammu & Kashmir in 123 terror incidents this year

Despite over two million tourist arrivals this year, there has been no let up in the killings of militants, security forces personnel and civilians in Kashmir and the figures remain more or less same as were in 2021.

According to official figures so far this year 180 militants, 31 security personnel and 31 civilians have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 123 terror incidents. Among the slain civilians this year, 14 belonged to minorities, including three Kashmiri Pandits.

The numbers of killings in 2021 stood at 189 militants, 44 security forces personnel and 41 civilians in 2021. During 2020, the region recorded the elimination of 203 militants, while 160 ultras were killed in 2019.

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The declining curve of violence witnessed in 2019, when the Parliament abrogated the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370, could not last long as almost all the parameters which were inciting troubles in J&K persist during the last two years.

However, despite the killings, there has been substantial decline in terrorist attacks - from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021. Similarly law and order situation has vastly improved with stone-pelting incidents and separatist sponsored strike calls almost vanishing.

The improved situation on law and order front has resulted in record 2.3 million tourist arrivals to Kashmir till October this year. The last time, the valley saw tourists in large numbers was in 2012 when about 13 lakh visited. Of the 2.3 million tourists who visited Kashmir this year, 3.5 lakh were Amarnath Yatris (pilgrims).

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A senior police officer told DH that the heavy and constant surveillance has reduced the number of terror attacks. “But a wave of killings of minority community members and the continued recruitment of locals into militancy suggest that the root cause of the problem — a separatist militancy that feeds on local grievances - bubbles underneath,” he said.

The officer predicted that the situation is going to remain more or less same in 2023. “Tourist arrivals will increase, but militants still lurk to carry out attacks – mostly on soft targets. If we can stop recruitment of locals into militancy next year, that will a huge achievement,” he added.