Army can keep a lid on militancy in Kashmir, not find a political solution

India's preponderance of force can keep the lid on militancy but without political initiative the Valley will continue to simmer

With Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) now under Governor’s Rule after the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew support from the Peoples Democratic Party on June 19, there is the predictable talk about an unfettered security establishment unleashing “muscular counter-terrorist operations” to quash growing militancy in the state. To be sure, the army now faces significant challenges. It must secure the Amarnath Yatra — in which hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across India undertake a three-day trek through the wild countryside to a Hindu shrine 4,000 feet high in the Himalayas. In addition, the security forces must re-establish their writ over the