Hold ISIS flag in Kashmir India

The situation in Kashmir has turned volatile following the arrest of separatist leader Masarat Alam in April earlier this year over waving a Pakistani flag in protest. On Friday, this newspaper was present — and the only one from Delhi there — when young protestors taunted the security forces that were guarding the area anticipating disturbances after the sermon delivered by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq of the Jama Masjid, by waving an ISIS flag and wearing masks similar to those worn by members of the terrorist organisation which rules large swathes of Iraq.

Observers said that the hardening of postures by the separatist forces was likely to be related to the commencement of the Amarnath Yatra, due in less than a month. It begins on 2 July this year. The recent spate of troubles in the valley began over issues related to the pilgrimage in 2008.

On Friday, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq delivered a sermon, as is the general practice, at the Jama Masjid in old Srinagar. Speaking for almost one hour, he alleged in conclusion that the BJP-PDP government was being "ruled by remote control from Nagpur". His allusion was to the RSS whose headquarters are in Nagpur. He also warned the Central government that it should not try to change the demographics of the state by bringing in people from other parts of the country and settling them here. It has been reported that moves are afoot to resettle the Kashmiri Pandit community back in the state. The Pandits had left the valley when insurgency began almost two decades ago. While Kashmiris maintain that the Pandits left due to a "fear psychosis", other observers, including international ones, have written that they left following threats from militant groups. Killings of Pandits had also occurred, leading to the exodus. Many of them continue to live in refugee camps in Jammu in inhospitable conditions.

On Friday, following the sermon delivered by the Mirwaiz, the head cleric of the mosque, whose father, a moderate, was assassinated in the early years of the insurgency, it appeared that things would pass off peacefully. At least 500 to 1,000 devotees were present when the Mirwaiz spoke and offered namaz afterwards. The devotees included scores of youngsters, although by and large the congregation comprised the middle-aged and the elderly.

However, within minutes of the namaz being offered, bullet shots rang out in the sky. Almost on cue, from among the youngsters appeared a few, donning full face-length masks, similar to those worn by ISIS terrorists, as seen in videos of beheadings of hostages carried out by them. The masked protestors were also carrying large stones and began to throw them towards the direction of the police and army guarding the main entrance to the mosque. In response, tear gas shells were lobbed by the forces. The protestors raised slogans, including "Long Live Pakistan", and "Kashmir Will Be Next Pakistan".

They also waved the ISIS and Pakistani flags. They were cheered by some of the other devotees. However, several of them could be seen scrambling for the Ramzan calendar being distributed free outside the mosque after the sermon, demonstrating the lack of interest even Kashmiris have begun to exhibit in such protests.

The Sunday Guardian spoke to some of the youngsters present there, before the situation turned hostile. They were unanimous in their view that the BJP-PDP alliance, like its predecessor, NC-INC alliance was a "puppet" of the Central government and not much could be expected from them, as far as the welfare of the people was concerned. "They are same to same. There has been no change in the situation," alleged a young protestor.

"Everything is controlled and decided by Delhi, via the security establishment. We don't have any hopes from them. They had said they would give us jobs but where are they?" asked another, adding that an atmosphere of "chaos and fear" was being created, as far as the recent developments in Sopore were concerned. Sources in the government and security establishment, however, denied all allegations and said that the government was committed to work for the people.

A little known terrorist group Lashkar-e-Islam killed someone known to be close to senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani a few days ago in Sopore, which is known to be his stronghold. Opinion is divided over whose instructions they were following.

Commenting on Friday's developments, a senior local journalist who did not wish to be named said that it was unlikely that the situation would become as bad as in 2010, when over a hundred young Kashmiris were killed as the security forces clamped down on instances of persistent stone pelting. "The movement has now reached a stage of passive resistance. The youngsters here do feel strongly about the presence of India in the valley. However, like youngsters elsewhere, they also want to improve the quality of their lives and to live normally. Unless something drastic happens, forced by external factors, the situation is likely to remain at a low boil," he said. He added that the Masarat Alam issue was unnecessarily hyped and was unlikely to last long.