Leaving behind his beloved four-year-old son, and the primary school students at the Falah-e-Aam primary school in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, Tariq Ahmad Wani had begun his journey to the graveyard on the hill. Following his training in 1993, Wani returned across the Line of Control to take charge of building a jihadist presence in Rajouri, Poonch and Doda, the Pir Panjal range along Kashmir’s southern fringe. In the forests above the remote town of Gulabgarh, Wani began hosting the Lashkar-e-Taiba sent in to wage a ruthless campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Following a firefight with Indian soldiers on 20 April 1996, Wani’s body was carried in procession to the Mazar-e-Shuhada, the so-called martyr’s graveyard, in Farrukhabad, on the outskirts of his home town, according to police records.

The lethal ambush, which claimed the lives of five Indian soldiers on the lonely road to Bhimber Gali in Poonch district last week, took place on the anniversary of Wani’s death, encrypted social media platforms linked to Lashkar recorded.

Four years ago, the killing of 40 Indian paramilitary police personnel in a suicide-attack at Pulwama pushed New Delhi to unleash missiles across the Line of Control, leading India and Pakistan to the edge of war. Terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad have since been reined in by Pakistan, and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s visit is expected in New Delhi next month—but attacks across the Line of Control have continued.

Ever since the execution-style killing of five sleeping soldiers near Chamrer in 2021, and four more in subsequent combing operations, there have been more than a dozen terrorist attacks on the Pir Panjal. These have included a suicide attack on an army outpost, multiple grenade attacks and bombings, as well as an attempted massacre of Hindu villagers. Ease of terrorist operation across the Line of Control has been enhanced by the thinning out of troops, necessitated by the crisis in Ladakh.

To read more: https://theprint.in/opinion/poonch-killing-of-indian-soldiers-shows-jihad-will-increase-india-pakistan-war-risk/1534078/