Prize scalp, but don’t fritter away gains

Riyaz Naikoo’s elimination by security forces in an encounter in Pulwama in South Kashmir is a major blow to the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). He was among India’s most-wanted terrorists in Kashmir and carried a bounty of Rs 12 lakh on his head. India’s counter-insurgency operations have scored a major victory with the HM’s decapitation. The victory is all the more valuable as it has come at a time when the security forces are under pressure in the Valley as there has been a sudden spike in attacks and encounters in recent weeks. Naikoo was the HM’s chief of operations since 2017 and had played an important role in the outfit’s survival since then. The HM was under severe pressure that year, when another HM commander, Zakir Musa, left the group to set up the al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar-ul-Ghazwat-ul-Hind. It was Naikoo’s leadership that prevented the HM from splitting down the middle at that time. He also managed to keep the AGH from expanding and was thus able to prevent pan-Islamist ideologies from gaining ground in the Valley.

Naikoo’s exit will hit the HM hard. The group lost two leaders, Burhan Wani and Sabzar Bhat, in quick succession in 2016-17. Naikoo’s leadership and his survival for three years at the helm provided the HM with stability. His death has plunged the HM into uncertainty and instability again. Of course, the HM’s Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir-based leaders and their handlers in the Inter-Services Intelligence will act swiftly to ensure a smooth transition. An announcement on a new operations chief for the HM in the Valley is expected to come soon.

Naikoo evoked fear among many Kashmiris. He was behind the abduction of the kin of several policemen in 2018 and the killing of truckers, apple traders and migrant workers in the Valley last year. However, he was also popular. His charisma – his dramatic appearances at militants’ funerals reportedly impressed Kashmiri youth – made him a popular rebel icon in the Valley and is said to have drawn scores of boys to join the HM. His death has triggered protests in Srinagar and other towns. Indian security forces must tread carefully. Use of force to deal with unrest will prove counterproductive. Already, the government has blundered by not handing over Naikoo’s body to his family for burial, an insensitive move that will enrage Kashmiris. The gains made by eliminating Naikoo must not be frittered by coercive crackdowns that would prompt more youth to join the militants’ ranks.