Chief minister Farooq Abdullah, among others, have been talking about the Taliban coming to Kashmir. Is there any truth in this?
The Taliban has been coming here as members of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (earlier known as the Harkat-ul-Ansar) and the Lashkar-e-Toiba. We know of training camps in Khost, Afghanistan, where the Harkat has been training. Evidently more of them may be coming. But as far as the Taliban is concerned, I don't think there is anything marvellous that it can do here. It is one thing to fight ragtag forces in Afghanistan who are ill-equipped and ill-trained and to fight one of the best armies in the world. Once they come here they will find it's a different kettle of fish. They don't stand a chance.
Why have foreign mercenaries replaced local militant groups?
The local militant component has been reduced. In Kupwara, where we killed 16 militants recently, only four were locals. In another encounter, of the 10 militants killed, two were locals. So only 20-25 per cent are Kashmiris. The locals are being used as guides who take the foreign militants to safe houses and also provide them with information. The muscle of insurgency is being provided by the foreigners. The number of Kashmiri militants has reduced because no one wants to send their kids to be killed. The average life of a militant, according to our estimate, is currently two years and three months. And our effort is to reduce this. People have come to realise that the path of the gun is meaningless. So foreign mercenaries are being sent to keep the Kashmir issue alive.
How many foreign mercenaries are there in the Valley?
Seventy-five to eighty per cent of the 1,000 militants in the Valley are foreigners. This is only a rough estimate.
Osama Bin Laden says only foreign militants can liberate Kashmir. Do you see any role for him here?
Bin Laden is living in a fool's paradise if he thinks he can come here in a big way. He is himself in trouble and such statements are a gimmick. As for the Taliban militia, they are just madrassa-trained youth from Khost. If visions are being conjured up of the Taliban coming across the border with guns and tanks and planes, it is a myth. They will find it difficult to come even with medium-range weapons.
Local militancy seems to be on the wane. But what about the future?
In future, money will be poured in to lure the youth into militancy. Jobs have to be created, or the youth will be targeted. Money will be poured in to revive a dying militancy. That will be the order of the day.
