New Wave of Terror in Jammu & Kashmir

Terrorism has reemerged in Jammu & Kashmir with a new intensity. On June 9, a bus in Reasi was attacked, killing at least nine people and injuring 33. Subsequent attacks in Kathua and Doda injured seven security personnel and others. The timing coincided with Narendra Modi’s third-term oath-taking as prime minister, signaling a challenge to the Union territory’s perceived normalcy. The Reasi attack marks the first targeting of pilgrims in the area, indicating a shift in terrorist strategy to include Jammu, traditionally less affected. Foreign terrorists have infiltrated via Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch before, but new tactics involve direct attacks in Jammu, suggesting a significant change in terrorist operations.