SUMMARY
The many groups that fight the Government of India under the heading ‘Kashmir insurgents’ make for a wide array of motives and tactics for one-sided violence and attacks on civilians. Many of the militant outfits that this actor is composed of have carried out one-sided violence, but the use of this strategy is perhaps most pronounced among those groups that adhere to jihadist ideologies and/or are mainly composed of non-Kashmiris.
A number of targeting patterns can be discerned from the long history of attacks on civilians. The first pattern stems from the religious lines of the conflict, with the Islamist militant groups targeting Hindus (and also Sikhs, Gujjars and Bakwals) living in Jammu and Kashmir in an effort of deliberate “ethnic cleansing” so as to create a completely Muslim area. This strategy has been in existence since the start of the uprising and can account for many of the recorded deaths. Attacks in this category range from large-scale massacres to bomb attacks in Hindu-dominated villages, as well as more targeted killings. The bulk of civilians killed by the Kashmir insurgents have however been Kashmiri Muslims.
Attacks on Muslims can be divided into a whole range of categories. One such category is the targeting of political activists, and other civilians that are linked to political parties, the Indian government, or election activities. Such targets are attacked in an attempt to foil any electoral processes that might give legitimacy to the Indian government or the perception that Kashmiris wish to remain within the Indian Union. Political parties campaigning during election times have oftentimes been branded as “Indian agents”, and their voters, sympathizers, and workers have been targeted. Attacks in this category range from targeted killings of individuals to grenade attacks on electoral rallies.
Probably the highest number of Muslim civilians killed has, however, been targeted due to being “government supporters”. This broad category incorporates anyone who the Kashmir insurgents have killed for allegedly supporting the government or its policies. This category is also related to the third one; those killed for allegedly being informers or collaborators. In terms of tactics civilians in these two categories are commonly killed in targeted attacks, using guns or knives.
A fourth category contains civilians who are killed for being in the family of a member of the security forces, army, or civil services. These are also commonly killed in targeted attacks, of course also being branded as traitors or collaborators.
While the motives for much of the one-sided violence can be fitted into the categories and strategies mentioned above, Kashmir insurgents have also made use of deliberate and indiscriminate violence, such as bombings of buses carrying civilians. The motives for such violence are unclear.
In addition to using small arms fire in attacks on civilians, Kashmir insurgents are known to have made use of grenades, bombs, IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and landmines.
In terms of geography the violence has, for natural reasons such as the nature of the conflict, been concentrated to the Jammu and Kashmir area. Some bombing attacks have, however, been carried out outside of the area. Within Jammu and Kashmir the most affected areas in terms of violence are those that neighbor the 1972 Line of Control (where Pakistani-administrated territory begins) as well as the Kashmir Valley and its main city of Srinagar.
Kashmir insurgents first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 1990, when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. In May that year a National Conference Party (a pro-Indian party) activist was murdered by militants, bringing the number of dead above the 25 civilians death threshold.
