TEHRAN - Just a couple of days after the brutal killing of 17 Palestinian in land day – 30th March - at Gaza border, 17 Kashmiri people lost their lives during different encounters in south of the valley; 13 of them militants and 4 civilians. The encounters costed 3 army personnel for Indian army as well.

These days the news of youngsters joining militancy in Kashmir is quite common. In most of the cases Indian security forces track them somewhere in rural areas and after a few hours of encounter, they are being targeted. Attacking the civilians of the region during encounter is also a routine and even if people do not demonstrate against the forces, they will be effected.

 A burnt and destroyed house or neighborhood and angry people who are thinking about retaliation are left behind in almost any encounter. Usually the story continues with the funeral for those lost Kashmiris, that turns into anti India demonstrations with AZADI - freedom - slogans everywhere. The sentiments of the people can be understood easily through such gatherings: No to India.

The first wave of the militancy goes back to 1988 where Kashmiri youth were trying to cross the LoC (Line of Control) and join the training camps in Pak-controlled Kashmir and return back with ammunitions and fight guerilla war against the Indian army in Kashmir. The wave of militancy was supported logistically by Pakistan and of course there were so many Sunni and Shia youths anxious to join it. During that time even though the majority of the militant groups were Sunni groups, Shia youth had no hesitation to join and fight under their command.

 This wave of militancy started to decline after 9/11 and particularly from 2003 to 2008 due to the international pressures on Pakistan. But again after the iron fist policy of India to the peaceful demonstrations of 2008 in Kashmir, a new wave of militancy emerged in Kashmir that practically raised from 2010. The new wave had its own characteristics making it different form the previous one. This time lots of those joining militancy were with higher educations; several of them were students at different well-known universities of India. They are sometimes even belonging to upper class families of the society. This time not everyone of them is thinking about crossing the border and going to Pakistan for trainings but they are easily linked to militancy inside the valley and start their short jungle life.

Surveying the background of the new generation of Kashmiri militants, shows that most of them have been a direct victim of humiliation, arrest and torture or those who do not face such experiences are finding themselves in front of a systematic humiliation and suppression against the people of Kashmir. It was just last week when a factory related to the ruling party in Delhi, started to sale a T-shirt with the image of a Kashmiri boy used as human shield on an army jeep; the event the erupted anger among Kashmiris. More than 80,000 killings, almost 8000 disappeared men, several cases of abuse and rape by army against women – like Kunanposhpora gang rape case -, hundreds of open human rights files against the armed forces of India in Kashmir and special acts providing immunity to the security forces in Kashmir – like APSPA - all have spread the notion of anger, hate and despair in the new generation of Kashmir.

India is directly responsible for whatever taking place in Kashmir and accusing Pakistan for the mess of today’s Kashmir is vain. If Pakistan was blamed for the militancy of 90s in Kashmir, in the new era of militancy, no one except India and its failed policy in Kashmir is guilty and accountable.