Kashmir Terror Attack, Rise of Terror in Kashmir– India Today

On Tuesday (April 22), terrorists killed 26 tourists in a vicious attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, marking a sharp departure from the insurgents’ recent tactics. Previously, they targeted the army, police, local officials, Kashmiri Pandits, and migrant workers, sparing tourists in line with Kashmir’s famed hospitality. This massacre shattered that unwritten pact, risking severe consequences. 

To trace the evolution of insurgency and terrorism, we revisit Kashmir’s turbulent history from Independence through the violent 1990s, when terror dominated the narrative.

Part one examines Kashmir from 1947 to February 3, 1984, when a brutal killing in Birmingham sparked an era of bloodshed and widespread protests.

In September 1966, gunshots shattered the quiet of Sopore, Kashmir’s apple town, drowning the sound of impending winter. Police arrived to find CID inspector Amar Chand dead in a blood-soaked street, shot twice in the head and chest.

Investigations pointed to Maqbool Bhat, 28, secretary of the Pakistan-based National Liberation Front (NLF), a militant group pushing for Kashmir’s independence. Arrested, Bhat confessed (later retracted), branding Chand a “traitor”.

In August 1968, eyewitness testimony convinced Judge Neelkanth Ganjoo to sentence Bhat to death—igniting his legend and a brutal saga of terror in Kashmir.

Until 1966, medieval Islamic conquests fueled Pakistan’s ambitions for Kashmir. In 1947, ‘Operation Gulmarg’ aimed to seize Kashmir using tribal lashkars led by army officers in civilian guise. The flawed plan’s architect, ‘General Tariq’—a pseudonym for Brigadier Akbar Khan—drew inspiration from Umayyad General Tariq ibn Ziyad, conqueror of Spain in 711 AD.

In summer 1965, Pakistan trained razakars and army regulars as guerillas and sent them into Kashmir in 9-10 groups. Clad in green shirts, these Mujahideen were tasked with hitting key government targets, reaching Srinagar, and joining a public protest on August 8-9.

Dubbed ‘Operation Gibraltar’ after the 8th-century Umayyad assault on Spain, the plan was deemed foolproof by its creator, Major General Akhtar Husain Malik, GOC of 12 Infantry Division. Over drinks and cards, Malik shared the scheme with army officers and bureaucrats, eventually winning over Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Malik persuaded Bhutto that Kashmiris would back the Mujahideen, declare separation from India on Kashmir radio, and seek aid from allies—an SOS Pakistan would answer. Bhutto, arguing it was “now or never,” convinced General Ayub Khan to approve the operation.

Like Operation Gulmarg, the 1965 plan collapsed swiftly. The anticipated uprising never materialized. Instead, Kashmiris reported the infiltrators, sparking a massive manhunt. Most Mujahideen were captured or perished in the wilderness, without rations or shelter.

Between and after the failure of these Caliphate-style conquest plans, Kashmir stayed calm. The only notable disturbance was religious. On December 27, 1963, the Moi-e-Muqqadas, a strand from Prophet Muhammad’s beard, vanished from Srinagar’s Hazratbal, the city’s sole domed mosque. As protests swept Kashmir, police fired, killing two. Once the relic was recovered, peace returned. 

After his army’s surrender in Dhaka in 1971, Bhutto, now Pakistan’s prime minister, grew cautious of further gambits. A brief calm settled over Kashmir, like a sorcerer’s veil cloaking a stormy future.

In public eyes, Kashmir of the ‘60s and ‘70s was paradise on earth— Shammi Kapoor’s snow-capped play ground, Yash Chopra’s Chinar-dotted romantic muse.

On Monday, February 6, in a room heavy with fog, tension and gloom, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chaired an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Political Affairs (CCPA). “Hang Bhat as soon as possible,” the PM said in a resolute voice. An official was immediately dispatched to Calcutta for President Zail Singh’s approval.

Four days later, Bhat sensed his time had come when he was moved to a solitary cell near the gallows in Tihar. Offered a meal, he refused. The next morning, he was led to the gallows, his hands were tied, and a black hood covered his head.

When the trapdoor opened, his body dropped into the pit below. The rope left a mark. But Bhat was buried in an unmarked place. Hours later, All India Radio announced his execution, sparking protests and the beginning of a cycle of killings and retribution in Kashmir.