Troop buildup: Is Pak-occupied Kashmir on Modi's radar?
The Kashmir Valley is on the boil once again, not due to fresh wave of violence but due to heightened tension from a perceived terror threat and a heavy troop buildup.
The eeriness in the air and the uncertainty on the ground only means the familiar ghosts are returning to the 'paradise in distress' to haunt the common populace of the strife-torn region.
Fresh tension began building up in the troubled Valley two days ago after the Jammu and Kashmir government brought the famous Amarnath Yatra to a sudden halt, almost two weeks ahead of its scheduled closure.
Pilgrims, tourists and non-local residents were asked to leave the Valley immediately.
The move was prompted by what was talked about as an imminent terror threat from outfits abetted by Pakistan.
It also coincided with the massive mobilization of security forces into Jammu and Kashmir, triggering a host of speculative stories and conspiracy theories.
A section of the netizens, soon taking to social media platforms, saw a 'smokescreen' in the terror perception.
They felt the Modi government could be using this as a pretext for the troop buildup in their plan to 'do something most unprecedented in the history of Jammu and Kashmir'.
But these prophecies fell flat following reports of four infiltration bids that were foiled along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Seven members of Pakistan's dreaded Border Action Team (BAT) were neutralized by the Indian Army in a failed bid to attack a forward post in Keran sector on the intervening night of July 31-August 1.
The deceased consisted of Pakistan's Special Service Group (SSG) commandos and terrorists.
This is the same lethal cocktail of terror in the guise of BAT that the neighbouring country's army uses against the Indian forces from time to time.
Even as the worst fears were beginning to come true, news emerged of three more infiltration bids from across the border that were successfully foiled by the Indian forces.
The advanced intelligence alerts, which forced an abrupt end to the Amarnath Yatra, thus proved vindicated.
People in the Kashmir Valley are right now bracing for yet another bout of turbulence and the resultant hardships.
They are stockpiling essentials amid strong fears of some stringent measures for the state by the Modi government and a possible backlash of protests.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a second successive mandate, issues pertaining to J&K have come under the spotlight.
It is being speculated that proposals like abrogating Article 35A, delimitation of constituencies and even a trifurcation of the state were under scrutiny and the Centre could be announcing some 'pragmatic' decisions in this regard.
Many believe that the Modi government could be leaning towards dividing Kashmir into three; carving separate states for Jammu and Ladakh while making the troublesome Kashmir Valley as a Union Territory.
This option, in their view, is most suited for the Centre to effectively address the contentious Article 35A that gives special powers to Jammu and Kashmir.
But even before one could come to terms with these theories, there is fresh buzz in the power corridors of Delhi and Srinagar that the BJP-led NDA regime is also weighing in another 'bold and sensational' option.
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