Has Islamic State made its bases in Jammu and Kashmir? Why did terrorists ask to recite ‘kalma’?

Youth in Kashmir showing flag of Islamic State (File)

Has the Islamic State made its bases in Jammu and Kashmir? Does it want to establish a “khilafat” or a caliphate or a state based on the Sharia laws, in the mountainous region irrespective of its political status? Will the IS derail the movement for an independent Kashmir or the right to self-determination, as demanded by some people in the state? 

These questions have popped up in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, in which 26 people were killed. What has shocked the people the most is how the terrorists executed their nefarious designs. The gunmen asked the tourists their names before opening fire. In some cases, they also demanded the tourists recite “kalma” or the Islamic prayers and on failing to do so, they shot down the people. In one bizarre case, a man from West Bengal began started reciting a “kalma” loudly as soon as a terrorist approached him. The gunman left him and moved away. There are also reports of Hindu female tourists wiping their “bindi” so that they were not identified as Hindu women. 

It was shocking, it has never happened in decades of terrorism in the Kashmir Valley or anywhere in the country. Were these terrorists members of the Islamic State? 

What is Islamic State?

The Islamic State, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) is a global jihadist organization, seeking to establish a caliphate governed by its interpretation of Sharia law. Once they have ruled a large party of Syria and have been very powerful in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. Coming under the attack of the US, they have been weakened in its core territories of Iraq and Syria. 

However, they or other outfits affiliated with them are still strong in certain areas of South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. In Kashmir, a region marked by a decades-long insurgency driven by separatist and Pakistan-backed militant groups, IS has made claims of presence, but the extent and nature of its foothold remain contested.

Islamic State India Province?

The IS claimed in 2019 to have established “Wilayah of Hind” (India Province) in Kashmir. However, security agencies have seen it as propaganda with no physical basis on the ground. The Islamic State in Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) claims to be associated with the Islamic outfit, but it is not an official IS province. 

Earlier claims of IS attack

However, the agency made its presence felt in 2017 with protestors all around Kashmir, especially in Srinagar, waving the flag of the Islamic State alongside the Pakistani flag at various rallies. In a separate incident, a group of Kashmiri youth in front of Jama Masjid in Nowhatta set the Indian flag on fire and waved the Pakistani and Islamic State flags. However, it was believed to be the handiwork of a few local youths who wanted to grab attention for the sake of publicity. The Jammu and Kashmir Police confirmed that the Islamic State had no involvement in these rallies. 

IS’s Amaq News Agency claimed on May 11, 2019, that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) had set up ISHP. It was the immediate reaction to a clash in Amshipora in Shopian district, where security forces gunned down Ishfaq Ahmad Sofi. The terrorist had been involved with other militant groups for over a decade. He also pledged allegiance to the IS. It is believed to be the only IS-affiliated militant in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Srinagar on November 17, 2017, killing an Indian policeman. However, the authorities attributed it to another terrorist outfit. The IS surfaced in 2018 to claim an attack on security forces in the Soura area of Srinagar, however, the authorities once again rejected it. The Union Home Ministry denied any “physical infrastructure” of IS in the Kashmir Valley. It also clarified that local militants like Eisa Fazli, who was associated with LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen, trying to hog the headline with such claims. 

Ideological differences with Pakistan-based groups

Political analysts also point out that Pakistan-based groups like LeT, JeM, and Hizbul Mujahideen dominate the insurgency in Kashmir. They focus on an independent state or integration of Kashmir with Pakistan. These groups are backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

However, the modus operandi makes it clear that the attackers were hardcore radical Islamists. Never before in Kashmir, terrorists have picked their targets based on religion. Though The  Resistance Front, a facade of the LeT, has claimed the attack, it is clear that its cadres have been radicalized like never before.