By M S Nazki
Everyone’s worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there’s really an easy way: Stop participating in it. Pakistan should understand this.
“The object of terrorism is terrorism. The object of oppression is oppression. The object of torture is torture. The object of murder is murder. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?”
George Orwell, 1984
With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism.
How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.
What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.
Terrorism remains a complex and evolving security challenge in Jammu and Kashmir, even as the region transitions through significant changes. While overall violence, local recruitment, and incidents like stone-pelting have dropped significantly compared to previous decades, the threat has adapted rather than disappeared.
Security assessments highlight how the dynamics of the threat have shifted:
Shift from the Valley to the Jammu Division
New Geographic Focus: As security grids tightened across the Kashmir Valley, militant outfits shifted their operational focus toward the Jammu division.
Terrain Advantages: Heavily forested and rugged areas, such as the Pir Panjal mountains and the Chenab Valley, have become hotspots for ambushes and direct clashes, presenting tougher operational challenges for security forces.
The Rise of "Hybrid" and "Virtual" Terrorist Networks
Digital Recruitment: Traditional, large-scale militant groups have increasingly been replaced by "hybrid terrorists", unlisted, loosely connected individuals who maintain normal civilian lives until activated via encrypted channels.
Proxy Outfits: Pakistan-based groups continue to operate through newer, online-heavy proxy fronts like The Resistance Front (TRF) to bypass international scrutiny while managing local execution.
Targeting of "Soft Targets"
Focus on Vulnerable Groups: To disrupt the narrative of post-2019 normalization and hurt the local economy, modern militancy heavily relies on targeted attacks on non-local laborers, minority communities like Kashmiri Pandits, and tourists. High-profile incidents, such as the Kulgam brick kiln shootings, underscore the persistent threat to these groups.
Convergence with Narco-Terrorism
Funding Pipelines: With traditional hawala financial channels heavily restricted by central agencies like the NIA, cross-border networks have increasingly turned to narcotics trafficking to fund their operations and weapon purchases.
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is operating under a reorganized command structure in Pakistan, led visibly by figures like Hafiz Talha Saeed, son of founder Hafiz Saeed, and deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri.
Key Leadership and Organizational Shifts
Hafiz Talha Saeed: Manages high-profile political and religious outreach, including coordinating with state-backed clerics like Tahir Ashrafi.
Saifullah Kasuri: Serves as deputy chief, publicly handling radical rhetoric, foreign policy warnings, and domestic positioning.
Hafiz Saeed: Despite past detention measures, intelligence reports indicate he retains overarching control of the organization.
Strategic & Political Integration
Political Fronts: LeT expands its operational and social footprint via political fronts like the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML).
State Nexus: Intelligence alerts highlight that top commanders move in heavily guarded convoys with local police escorts, pointing to renewed domestic utility for the military establishment under Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Current Operational Landscape in J&K
Basit Ahmad Dar: Tracked by security agencies as a high-priority local operative linked to LeT's proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF), in the valley.
Foreign Handlers: Intelligence inputs indicate that cross-border handlers coordinate with active foreign operatives in the region, including LeT commanders named Abu Zargam, Abu Hurraira, Khalid, and Umer.
Details of the attack carried out by Yasir Yasir, Pakistani LeT, killed in Operation Ashdar, Budgam / Yusmarg, 4–5 September 2026. Officials link him to multiple 2024 strikes on security forces.
May 2024 Shahsitar, Surankote, Poonch IAF convoy ambush. One IAF personnel was martyred and four were injured.
20 October 2024 Gagangir / Sonamarg attack on workers. Seven people were killed, including a local doctor. Same module; some reports name other members as the lead.
24 October 2024 Bota Pathri, near Gulmarg, Army vehicle ambush. Three soldiers and two porters were killed. Musa and Yasir were named.
Earlier group context: Dera Ki Gali, Poonch, 21 December 2023 Army ambush. Four soldiers were killed. Same four-man LeT module, Suleman, Musa, Yasir and Junaid. It has been reported that Musa still survives.
Ever since the 1990s I have been hearing many names such as Musa.
But this Musa is an upstart.
It would be great that he too is eliminated because he can cause damage.
A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander named Yasir, a Pakistani national, was killed by security forces during Operation Ashdar in the higher reaches of the Yousmarg/Ashdar Gali area in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on September 4–5, 2026.
Key Details of the Operation
Forces Involved: A joint operation by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF.
Timeline: Intelligence-based tracking led to an initial cordon around September 1, with first contact and an exchange of fire beginning on September 3–4, culminating in the neutralisation of the terrorist on September 4/5.
Location: Ashdar Gali, a remote alpine ridge and dense forest belt at altitudes between 12,000 and 15,500 feet in the Pir Panjal range above Yousmarg.
Recoveries: An AK-series rifle and various war-like stores were recovered from the encounter site.
Background: Slain commander Yasir was linked by intelligence and police to multiple major terror attacks in J&K during 2024.
At Random We Will Speak About:
The May 4, 2024 terrorist ambush on an Indian Air Force convoy near Shahsitar in Surankote, Poonch, resulted in the death of Corporal Vikky Pahade and injuries to four other air personnel.
May 4, 2024 Ambush Details
Location: Near Shahsitar, Surankote subdivision, Poonch district.
Incident: Terrorists opened fire on two IAF vehicles as personnel returned to their base at Sanai Top.
Casualties: Corporal Vikky Pahade was killed in action, and four other air warriors sustained bullet injuries.
Operation: Security forces launched massive cordon and search operations across Danna Top, Shahsitar, Sheindra, and Sanai Top.
October 2024 Developments
Arrests: Security forces reported major counter-terror breakthroughs in the region, including the report of two terrorists apprehended in the Poonch sector on October 18, 2024, for involvement in regional attacks.
Investigation Links: Intelligence and security agencies subsequently linked operatives from the Lashkar-e-Taiba network, such as operative Yasir, later neutralized in 2026, to the orchestration of the Shahsitar convoy ambush and subsequent 2024 valley attacks.
Gunmen kill seven people working on key tunnel project in Kashmir.
It is the second attack on non-local workers in the disputed region since a local government was sworn.
Police said at least two attackers fired "indiscriminately" at officials and workers associated with the construction on Sunday night, killing two people on the spot. At least 10 others were taken to hospital, where five more died.
The attack came shortly after workers returned to their lodgings. The dead included five migrant workers and officials, one Kashmiri worker and a Kashmiri doctor.
Hundreds of people, mostly labourers from other states of India, are working on the ambitious tunnel project that aims to connect the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh, a cold desert region that is isolated for half the year because of snowfall. Experts say the tunnel project is important to the military, which will gain significantly improved capabilities to operate in Ladakh.
The strategically important region shares de facto borders with Pakistan and China, and Indian and Chinese soldiers have been engaged in a military standoff there since 2020. Both countries have stationed tens of thousands of soldiers there, backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.
On October 24, 2024, terrorists ambushed an Indian Army vehicle belonging to the 18 Rashtriya Rifles in the Bota Pathri area near Gulmarg in Baramulla district, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers and two civilian porters, with other personnel sustaining injuries.
Bota Pathri road, near the Nagin post in the Affarwat range, roughly 6 kilometers from the tourist destination of Gulmarg.
Casualties: Two soldiers of the Indian Army and two local civilian porters, Zahoor Ahmad Mir and Mushtaq Ahmed Choudhary, were killed. Several others were injured and evacuated to base hospitals.
Attacker Profile: Security investigations and subsequent counter-terror operations linked operatives from the Lashkar-e-Taiba, including a Pakistani militant named Yasir who was later neutralized in late 2026, to this ambush.
Who was Yasir?
Yasir was a Pakistan-national Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander who was killed by security forces on September 5, 2026, during a gunfight in the Yousmarg area of Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Encounter Details
Operation: Neutralized during Operation Ashdar.
Location: Higher reaches of Yousmarg and Ashdar Gali in Budgam district.
Forces Involved: Joint operation by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF.
He was a Pakistani national and a key operative for the banned terror group LeT.
Group Ties: He was earlier linked to the Sulaiman Musa and Junaid Ramzan factions before operating in independent cells across the Yusmarg and Pulwama belts.
Suspected Terror Links
Security agencies and police linked Yasir to several major attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including:
The 2024 Poonch IAF convoy ambush.
The Sonamarg, Gagangeer, non-local workers attack.
The Bota Pathri attacks.
Is Lashkar still active in J&K?
With Musa taking over, yes is the answer.
After heavy stuff this may well move you!
He died in the rain, face down in the mud, shot by the only man he trusted. But his story didn't end in that trench. It ended in a quiet kitchen on the other side of the border, where a woman still waits for a letter that will never arrive.
The Meeting
Tariq didn't start as a radical. He was a student with a passion for poetry and a fierce, misguided desire to change a broken system.
That passion made him easy prey for recruiters. Within a year, he was living in a hidden camp in the dense northern mountains, holding a rifle instead of a pen.
Then Farah. She was a doctor's daughter from a nearby village, caught in the crossfire of a local raid. Tariq was tasked with guarding the makeshift cell where she was held. While the others slept, they talked. She spoke of healing; he spoke of revolution.
Over weeks of whispered conversations in the dark, she stripped away his illusions, showing him the human cost of his cause. He fell in love with her clarity, and she fell in love with the boy hidden beneath the militant's uniform.
The Betrayal
Tariq knew he had to leave. He promised Farah he would desert the cell during their next deployment and meet her at the old railway station. But in a terrorist cell, suspicion is the oxygen everyone breathes.
As they moved through a mountain pass under the cover of a torrential downpour, Tariq lagged behind, preparing to slip into the brush. He didn't notice Asif, his closest comrade and roommate, watching him from the shadows.
Asif had noticed the changes in Tariq, the hesitation in his eyes, the missing ammunition, the stolen glances at a faded photograph.
To Asif, doubt was treason. Without a word, Asif raised his rifle. The shot echoed through the mountain pass, and Tariq fell, mortally wounded by the person he trusted most. As the group moved on into the mist, Tariq was left behind in the rain.
The Aftermath
Farah waited at the station until the last train departed. She still lives in that border town, working at the local clinic, keeping a spare place at her table every evening. She knows he didn't make it, but she chooses to remember the man who wanted to change, rather than the shadow he left behind.
Love shines brighter than a bullet in the middle of two eyes!
Read thousands of books and I will power myself with knowledge. Pens and books are the weapons that defeat terrorism!
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) remains active in Jammu and Kashmir through a diminished network of foreign and hybrid local operatives, cross-border handlers, and proxy groups like The Resistance Front (TRF), even as security forces continue to eliminate its key leadership.
Current Activity Status
Operational Presence: Government and intelligence assessments indicate that a residual number of terrorists, including foreign operatives, continue to operate in pockets of the region.
Tactical Shift: Rather than large structured units, LeT largely relies on decentralized cells, hybrid local recruits, and over-ground support networks.
Recent Commander Casualties
Security forces have neutralized several prominent LeT commanders in recent operations.
Yasir: A top Pakistani LeT commander linked to previous attacks on security convoys was killed by joint forces during Operation Ashdar in the Yousmarg area of Budgam on September 5, 2026.
Zakir Ahmad Ganie: An LeT commander associated with proxy group TRF was eliminated during an anti-terror operation in the Shopian district in July 2026.
Leadership Structure
Decentralized Command: LeT does not have a single visible local commander overseeing the entire region.
Handlers and Operatives: Intelligence reports indicate operations and infiltration attempts are guided by Pakistan-based handlers alongside remaining foreign operational commanders, such as Abu Zargam, Abu Hurraira, Khalid, and Umer, and affiliate figures in the valley.
Will terrorism end in the valley?
Whether terrorism will end completely in Jammu and Kashmir depends on continued security efforts and regional stability, though leaders report a sharp drop in overall violence.
Current Security Progress
Lower Violence Rates: Officials report a 70 percent drop in terrorist acts and an 81 percent fall in civilian deaths since 2019.
No More Street Protests: Mass protests and stone-pelting incidents have dropped to zero in recent years.
Targeted Operations: Security forces regularly neutralize active terrorist cells and dismantle local financial support networks for terror.
Remaining Challenges
Hybrid Threats: Security experts note that online radicalization and hidden local networks still pose risks for sudden, soft-target attacks.
Cross-Border Factors: Officials state that vigilance must continue because cross-border backing for terrorist groups has not completely stopped.
Ongoing Operations: Police and Army leaders maintain that anti-terror operations must persist until the threat is fully gone.
The Last Few Lines
The blind faith in some half-assed conspiracy theories lines up with the logic of having to believe in something with no questions asked. It gives us peace and comfort. As simple as I was, I found that resorting to this absolute nonsense was the root of all our problems. It was a road of willingly-learned helplessness, for no action could make a difference, thereby no action was needed.
"War on Terrorism" is the grammar. How do you wage war on an abstract noun? How is "Terrorism" going to surrender? It's well known, in philological circles, that it's very hard for abstract nouns to surrender.
And thus the fight continues with no end in sight till Asim Munir gets germs of relevance in his mindset.
