India Bans 2 Militant Groups in Kashmir

India recently banned two militant groups that are believed to be behind many of the attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir over the last couple of years. 

On January 5, India’s Home Ministry issued a notification declaring The Resistance Front (TRF) and the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) as terrorist organizations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. TRF and PAFF are said to be front organizations of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which are U.N.-designated terrorist entities.

“A large number of cases have been registered against the members/associates of the TRF relating to planning of killings of security force personnel and innocent civilians of Jammu and Kashmir, co-ordinating and transporting weapons to support proscribed terrorist organizations, etc.,” the Home Ministry said in the notification banning the group. The ministry added that TRF is also engaged in “psychological operations on social media platforms for inciting people of Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorist outfits against [the] Indian State.” 

As for PAFF, it is “involved in terror acts and issuing threats to Indian security forces, political leaders, civilians in J&K, and other states,” the HomeMinistry said. 

TRF and PAFF were set up in late 2019. In August of that year, the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy and split the erstwhile state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

To prevent political mobilization and mass protests to its unilateral move, the government arrested thousands of Kashmiri politicians and activists, shut down the internet, and restricted public movement. These measures evoked deep resentment in the Kashmir Valley. It was amid these developments that TRF and PAFF emerged. 

In October 2019, TRF claimed responsibility for two grenade attacks in quick succession in Srinagar. In the three-plus years since, the outfit has carried out dozens of attacks on civilians and security forces. Indeed, within months of its emergence, TRF militants were engaging Indian security forces in face-to-face combat. In an encounter at Keran near the Line of Control in April 2020, five TRF militants were able to hold off Indian paratroopers for more than four days. While all five militants were ultimately killed, the security forces lost five personnel too.

The Keran encounter set alarm bells ringing in New Delhi. The Narendra Modi government boasted that the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy would end Kashmiri separatism and militancy. The Keran encounter, however, signaled Kashmir was seeing a new phase of militancy.  

Unlike the “Burhan Wani phase” of militancy that began in 2014, where poorly trained and equipped local militants waged their battles against India more on social media than on the ground, outfits like TRF and PAFF were well-armed and battle-hardened. Indian intelligence agencies identified the two as LeT and JeM proxies. 

Pakistan-backed anti-India terror groups have traditionally had names that lay bare their Islamic ideology and outlook. For instance, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen mean “Army of Mohammed” and “Party of Holy Warriors,” respectively. TRF and PAFF, in contrast, are not Islamic names. 

Political words like “resistance” and “anti-fascist” rather than Islamic terms were included to distance them from their Pakistani origin. Besides, the strategy was aimed at winning broader appeal to secure support for their “resistance” against the “fascist” Indian state.

However, TRF and PAFF soon revealed their true colors. They have killed several Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri Hindus. In addition to sending threatening letters to civilians, they have also published “hit lists.” The groups have denied any religious motivation for the killing of Hindu civilians but clarified that anyone who “tries to become a pawn of this Fascist regime is automatically a target for our bullets.”

In recent months, security forces have detained dozens of suspected militants and over-ground workers as well as those who are funding the militancy through their participation in the drug trade, hawala transactions, and transport of weapons. 

The designation of TRF and PAFF as terrorist groups will facilitate such search and detention operations by the security forces. 

It could lead to a lull in the activities of these groups, but this will at best be brief. In terrorist circles, a terrorist designation is looked upon as a badge of honor. It is a morale and image booster for terror groups. TRF and PAFF will be keen to signal to their fighters and supporters that they are not cowed by such designations and can be expected to carry out attacks to signal that they are very much in business. 

Violence will likely grow as summer approaches. With snow in the Himalayan passes melting, infiltration will grow, too. Tourists will be vulnerable to their attacks.

India’s counterterrorism strategies have focused on managing violence. While outlawing militant outfits and cracking down on their activities has yielded some results, shutting off the terror tap, which is based in Pakistan, requires that India engage in negotiations with Islamabad. Not talking to Pakistan is costing India dearly. 

Importantly, New Delhi needs to engage the Kashmiri people and their elected representatives in talks toward a negotiated settlement. They are at the center of the conflict and its main victims. Without addressing their grievances, bans and crackdowns will not go far.