'The elimination of terrorists does not imply the neutralisation of terrorism. That terrorist ecosystem continues to thrive in Kashmir.'
"In Kashmir, the security situation has improved significantly. Recruitment is curtailed, infiltration is restricted and a large number of terrorists have been neutralised. The strength of terrorists operating in J&K has come down from about 4,500 to a little under 100," points out Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain, former commander of the Srinagar-based XV Corps.
The second-generation army officer served seven tenures of distinguished military duty in Jammu and Kashmir, across all the three regions of the state -- Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh -- and has an astute understanding of the military, political, social, economic and the populace.
While serving in the Kashmir Valley, he conceived the 'Hearts Doctrine' aimed at winning the hearts and minds of Kashmiris.
"Terrorist networks incubated inside Jammu and Kashmir continue to operate. The reduction in terrorist numbers and separatist tendencies, as well as people raising the national flag and chanting patriotic slogans are not definitive indicators for change," General Hasnain tells Rediff's Archana Masih in a must-read two-part interview.
You have said that the roots of the Lal Quila attack in Delhi lie in Jammu and Kashmir. What are your primary takeaways from what has happened?
India has not seen a terror attack in an urban area for nearly 15 years. The last major attack was the German Bakery blast in Pune 2010 and the Delhi high court bombing in 2011.
Since then, intelligence agencies and police have improved their intelligence and surveillance capability and busted most terror modules in many urban centres in northern India, as well as in Mumbai and Pune.
India has largely been peaceful. In Kashmir, the security situation has improved significantly. Recruitment is curtailed, infiltration is restricted and a large number of terrorists have been neutralised.
The strength of terrorists operating in J&K has come down from about 4,500 to a little under 100.
However, the elimination of terrorists does not imply the neutralisation of terrorism. That terrorist ecosystem continues to thrive in Kashmir.
In 2017, the National Investigative Agency targeted terrorist financial networks and neutralised it over a period of time. As a result, funding sources for terrorism have dried up to a large extent.
The government also cracked down on thriving anti-national media in Kashmir which was receiving government advertisements.
In spite of these successes, Punjab and Kashmir remain the hub of the drug trafficking networks, and efforts are continuing to bring it under control. The smuggle of arms and suchlike illicit activities continue.
The ideological aspect is also very significant. Radical clerics are more focussed on the extremist interpretation of Islam than the upliftment of youth, especially during Friday namaaz in some places.
Such ideological networks have increased despite efforts by the government to counter this trend.
De-radicalisation is a complex challenge across the world. There are some established effective global models adopted by Saudi Arabia and Singapore to counter radicalisation. India can learn from adapting such models.
Terrorist networks incubated inside Jammu and Kashmir continue to operate. The reduction in terrorist numbers and separatist tendencies, as well as people raising the national flag and chanting patriotic slogans are not definitive indicators for change.
We went to the Bakshi stadium on Independence Day 2025 and it was packed with people to attend the Independence Day function.
The Bakshi stadium and the Barmullah stadium used to be packed even in 1999. Yet, it is difficult to know whether people are coming of their own volition or otherwise. The Kashmiri psyche is very complex and not easily understood.
While progress has been made in J&K, the radical networks are attempting to take terrorist activity into urban areas, particularly north India.
In the past, there were some linkages between radical elements in Kerala and J&K.
This suggests that these networks would try to increase their influence to other urban centres like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and also target areas with sizeable Muslim population vulnerable to radical ideology.
The ideological struggle between the radicals and non-radicals in Islam has continued for centuries and remains very dynamic -- sometimes one side is stronger, at another time, it is the other.
While global terror has declined and the global war on terrorism has scaled down with the dismantling of ISIS, and al-Qaeda reduced to insignificance, yet international terror networks continues to exist.
They are waiting to make a comeback. Terrorism is always waiting for opportunities to re-emerge. It lies dormant and then suddenly, one fine day, it emerges like ISIS did in Iraq in 2014.
The pattern of incubation and resurgence is characteristic of terrorism. Therefore, the roots of the terror incident in Delhi lie in J&K.
The doctors [except one] had links in Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Faridabad, Lucknow, Saharanpur... If you join the dots, it indicates the attempt to reactivate terrorism beyond J&K.
One must credit the intelligence agencies for the work done in the last 15 days to uncover and break this module. It appears that this module panicked and triggered the explosion at the Red Fort. Whether it was a suicide bombing or an accidental detonation will be investigated.
What matters most is that it was a near or a quasi-terrorist act which happened in the heart of Delhi and its linkages go back to J&K.
Do you think the intention was to bring terror to the heart of India, with broader implications not just for security but also for Muslims living in northern India?
That's a very good question. Let me explain this through an anecdote.
Some years ago, Pakistan's Geo TV interviewed a suicide bomber whose device had malfunctioned.
When asked if he was a Muslim, he said, 'Yes, of course'.
The interviewer pointed out that most of the people he was trying to kill were also Muslims.
His answer was chilling: 'None of these people are Muslims. I am the only true Muslim. The way I live, read, and follow Islam is the only correct way. The rest are heretics.'
Now, I'm not saying those involved in the Delhi act were radicalised to that extreme. But this reveals the mind of how radicals think. They justify killing their own in pursuit of a distorted cause.
Sacrificing a few from their own community means nothing if it serves a larger purpose.
The radical mind is irrational -- it knows no reason or logic.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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