Pakistan’s Strategy of Outsourcing Conflict Through Radicalisation of J&K Youth

Since its inception, Pakistan has pursued a policy of using asymmetric warfare to destabilise India, with Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) serving as the central theatre of this long-drawn-out conflict. Unable to win a conventional war, Pakistan has resorted to a more insidious method, outsourcing conflict by systematically radicalising Kashmiri youth.

This approach weaponises identity, religion, and economic deprivation, transforming impressionable minds into instruments of violence. The case of Burhan Wani is emblematic of this strategy, illustrating both the effectiveness and the eventual futility of Pakistan’s proxy war against India. Despite efforts to fan discontent, Kashmiri society has consistently shown signs of rejecting this externally fuelled militancy.

Radicalisation as a Strategic Doctrine

Pakistan’s strategy hinges on three key elements: indoctrination, recruitment, and sustenance of terrorism. Through a network of madrasas, social media propaganda, and radical preachers, Pakistan-backed groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) create a false narrative of religious oppression and ‘liberation’. These narratives are crafted in Rawalpindi and transmitted through digital and physical channels into Kashmir, targeting young men who face limited employment opportunities and social mobility.

This strategy is not merely a by-product of religious extremism; it is a calibrated policy tool. Pakistan’s military-intelligence complex views J&K not just as a territorial issue but as a means to bleed India without triggering a full-scale war. The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) plays a central role in this orchestration, providing training, arms, and ideological motivation to operatives who then recruit vulnerable youth.

Burhan Wani: A Manufactured Icon

Burhan Wani, eliminated by Indian security forces in July 2016, became a rallying point for terrorist sympathisers. A local boy from Tral, Wani, joined Hizbul Mujahideen at the age of 15 after allegedly being humiliated by security personnel. His transformation from a teenager to a terrorist commander was facilitated through exposure to Pakistan-backed ideology. Social media, particularly Facebook and WhatsApp, were used by Wani to glamorise terrorism. Posing with guns and issuing threats, he crafted a digital persona that romanticised violence and defiance.

However, Wani was not a freedom fighter; he was a terrorist and a tool. His actions directly contributed to violence and instability, culminating in months of unrest after his death, during which civilians and security forces alike suffered grave casualties. While Pakistan hailed him as a “martyr,” it remained silent on the destruction left in his wake—burnt schools, crippled tourism, shattered lives, and polarised communities. Wani’s story is not of heroism, but of exploitation: a young life diverted from its potential and extinguished for geopolitical gain.

The Human and Social Costs

The costs of this radicalisation strategy are borne not by Islamabad, but by the people of Kashmir. Families lose their sons, education is repeatedly disrupted, and the economy remains stunted. Each shutdown, each encounter, and each funeral further strains the social fabric of the Valley. Schools are targeted by terrorists, while youth are discouraged from pursuing careers in the armed forces or civil services, narrowing the avenues for upward mobility.

This cycle of violence has led to deep psychological scars. Generations of Kashmiri children have grown up under the shadow of conflict, resulting in increased cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse. Instead of development and empowerment, Pakistan’s interference has produced fear and regression. Moreover, radicalisation has eroded the Sufi and syncretic culture that once defined Kashmiri Islam, replacing it with a rigid, Wahhabi-influenced extremism imported from across the border.

Rejection by Kashmiri Society

Despite these efforts, Kashmiris have increasingly shown their unwillingness to be pawns in Pakistan’s proxy war. The high voter turnout in District Development Council (DDC) elections in 2020, the steady rise in youth applying for competitive examinations, and the participation of locals in national sports and cultural events signify a growing disillusionment with the separatist narrative. Civil society, religious leaders, and families have begun actively discouraging youth from joining terrorist ranks.

The elimination of Article 370 and the subsequent constitutional integration of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into the Indian Union, although controversial, has also helped undercut the separatist argument. Development initiatives, investment in infrastructure, and the improvement of grassroots governance structures are beginning to address the alienation that Pakistan exploits.

Significantly, former militants and their families have come forward to recount the hollowness of the cause they were recruited into. Many have admitted that promises made by handlers across the border—of protection, purpose, and paradise—were lies meant only to serve Pakistan’s strategic ends.

Pakistan’s policy of outsourcing conflict through the radicalisation of Kashmiri youth is a cynical and destructive strategy. It is designed not to resolve the Kashmir issue, but to perpetuate instability and deny India the peace dividend in its northern frontier. The case of Burhan Wani should be a cautionary tale, not an inspirational one—an example of how youth are manipulated and discarded by a state that has no stake in their future.

India must continue to counter this strategy through a combination of hard security measures and soft developmental approaches. But the greatest antidote to Pakistan’s proxy war lies within Kashmir itself—a society that, despite decades of turmoil, increasingly yearns for peace, progress, and inclusion in the Indian mainstream. The rejection of radicalisation by the Kashmiri people is the most potent rebuke to Pakistan’s failed strategy.