Why Dujana’s Killing Isn’t a Gamechanger Against Kashmir Militancy

At least seven families from south Kashmir have come forward since Tuesday, claiming Dujana as their own.

(Photo: The Quint)

To stave off the eventuality that Lashkar-e-Toiba's former Kashmir chief Abu Dujana may achieve "saint-like" status like that of Burhan Wani, the Jammu and Kashmir police has approached the Pakistan's High Commission in the national capital to claim his body.

Dujana, who was killed in an encounter on Tuesday, was believed to be a resident of Karachi in Pakistan and had allegedly mastered the art of deception during his three years of militancy in the Kashmir valley. He was married to a local girl in Pulwama and "adopted her family as his own", according to J&K police.

But, sources said that at least seven families from south Kashmir have come forward since Tuesday, claiming Dujana as their son.

Also Read: Who is Abu Dujana, the Top LeT Terrorist Killed in Pulwama?

People have written poems in his (Dujana’s) name which shows the kind of love and respect he commanded in south Kashmir, especially in Pulwama where he lived for the last seven years and also got married to a farmer’s daughter.

Manzoor Naikoo, Pulwama resident

While Dujana climbed the ladder within Lashkar ranks following the killing of Abdul Rehman alias Abu Qasim, his predecessor, in an encounter in south Kashmir in 2015, he kept a low profile and rarely appeared on social media, unlike the local militants of the Valley.

Also Read: Lashkar’s Master of Masks, Their Kashmir Ex-Chief Abu Dujana

Major Breakthrough or Good Headline?

The killing of Dujana has made a good headlines for the government, but it is not as major a success against militancy in Kashmir Valley as, say, the killing of his predecessor, Abu Qasim. The constantly changing rules of insurgency and counter-insurgency ops were slowly making Dujana a misfit in Kashmir's guerrilla warfare.

He was literally groomed by Majid Zargar, his junior in Lashkar, who introduced him to his network of Over-Ground Workers (OWGs) in south Kashmir and together they were planning a series of major strikes. After Majid’s killing created a void, he (Dujana) wanted to leave Kashmir with his wife, but could not obtain the permission of his handlers.

A senior J&K police official

Majid Zargar, a dreaded Lashkar militant from Kulgam district of south Kashmir whose involvement was probed in a number of high-profile strikes on security forces including the Udhampur attack, was killed in December last year. His killing was a major turning point for Lashkar in the Valley.

New Rules of Engagement

On 10 July, the deadly strike on Amarnath yatris which resulted in the killing of eight pilgrims, became a major turning point in the career of Abu Dujana. The attack was carried out with the help of local militant commanders by Abu Ismail, a Pakistani national who is now likely to succeed Dujana as Lashkar’s operational chief for Kashmir.

The Amarnath attack sent shockwaves even within the militant ranks. He may have mastered the art of deception, but Dujana was not known to plan or execute such strikes. Although he was involved in a number of strikes, the appearance of Ismail on the scene changed the rules of engagement.

Sources

Chief of Kashmir Police, Munir Khan, told reporters in Srinagar on Tuesday that all Over-Ground Workers who were involved in arranging logistical support for Ismail and his associates for carrying out the strike on Amarnath pilgrims have been arrested, "Now, only their militant leaders have to be nabbed," he said.

Big Fish in Deep Waters

Militant commanders like Dujana had little to no role in renewal of militancy in Kashmir. While he was popular among locals for breaking cordons of security forces, the show, say police, is being managed by militants like Hizbul’s Sheikh Abbas and Hizb's Yasin Yatoo and Riyaz Naikoo.

Since all of them are recycled militants, they have a strong network of Over-Ground Workers who they can rely on. They have used this network to recruit more people. Bashir Lashkari, for example, revived his old network in Kokernag where the support for militancy is at an all time high today.

Sources

Along with Abu Ismail, Abbas and Naikoo are being investigated for their involvement in the Amarnath attack and the killing of six police personnel, including a station house officer, in Anantnag on 17 June among other attacks. One Lashkari militant was killed in an encounter on 1 July.

Barely a fortnight ago, a youth from Anantnag town, Yawar Nisar, disappeared from his home. His family later came to know that he has become a militant, the first such occurrence in the town since 2005, signalling mounting troubles for the security establishment involved in a two-fronted war with hostile population on one side and surging numbers of militants on the other.

(The writer is a freelance journalist based out of Jammu and Kashmir. He can be reached at @Gaamuk. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quintneither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

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