Samba Attack; Kashmir Marked its Presence in UN

A T-72 tank was especially requested as a backup to give a cover to the Quick Response Team of the Indian military from the barrage of bullets.

“At over 30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must have been snoozing as his special Air India jet cruised from Europe to America.”

This was the first line emblazoned on the Daily Mail write-up on the news report pertaining to the attack of Kashmiri militants on the Indian army unit at Samba. Interestingly, the lines reflect the sentiments of the Indian nation, as Mr. Singh has a meeting due with Pakistan’s premier, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

In an attack being considered as the worst on a security establishment in the Jammu region in the last 10 years, the death toll mounted to 10, including four Army personnel and four policemen. Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh, the second in command of the unit, was also among the four slain Army men.

The four heavily armed militants, wearing army fatigues, aged between 16 and 19, defied all odds and kept the Indian forces engaged for almost nine hours. A T-72 tank was especially requested as a backup to give a cover to the Quick Response Team of the Indian military from the barrage of bullets.

A lesser-known militant outfit ‘Shohada Brigade’ claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We carried out the attacks in Kathua and Samba in the Jammu region,” a person who identified himself as Sami-ul-Haq, the spokesperson of the outfit, said. He claimed they were locals.

As expected, the infuriated politicians, former Army veterans and state officials did not give a second thought before making Pakistan responsible for the woes faced by the Indian administration in Kashmir. Mr. Yashwant Sinha, a leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, the main opposition party, stressed that there was no point in talking to Pakistan if it was unable to prevent such attacks on India.

“We are not going to achieve anything, and therefore I have no hesitation in saying that the Prime Minister should call off the talks … I insist, he should call off the talks even at this stage.” he said.

But the PM, Mr. Singh, did not approve of the wisdom displayed by the Opposition. Condemning the attack as ‘heinous’, Mr. Manmohan Singh showed a commitment in meeting with Mr. Sharif.

“This is one more in a series of provocations and barbaric actions by the enemies of peace,” Singh said in a statement. “Such attacks will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a solution to all problems through a process of dialogue.”

The Kashmiris are facing systematic persecution since the last 60 years, under the illegal occupation of the Indian administration. The region, considered by the security strategists as the nuclear flashpoint, has become increasingly volatile due to India’s expansionist designs. 2013 has turned out to be the most violent year, as the resistance groups are swiftly mounting up the attacks on the Indian installments.

On the other hand, the Government of India is trying to suppress the mounting resistance by resorting to brutality on the population. But nothing has proved fruitful in curbing the resistance. In spite of the oppressive measures of the Indian Government and Military, 52 security personnel have been killed this year, as corroborated by the SATP (South Asian Terrorism Portal) report.