1. Perhaps, the most negative facet of the ongoing terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is the abominable atrocities committed by terrorists on innocent civilians. This aspect has been compounded by the increasing involvement of foreign mercenaries with criminal record, most of them hailing from Pakistan or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, who have been indulging in blatant killings of innocent civilians and causing indiscriminate damage to infrastructure.
2. One of the worst affected segment of the society are women who in addition to bearing the loss of their men folk are subject to frequent incidents of rape and atrocities, especially by foreign mercenaries. The case in point is the story of Mariam Begum whose ears and nose were severed by terrorists in retaliation for inducing her brother to surrender. The Army got her nose and ears restored through plastic surgery.
3. Terrorist indulged in selective killings of perceived pro-establishment sympathizers, to include ex-servicemen, Special Police Officers, Village Defence Committee members, political workers etc. Though the overall terrorist atrocities are generally committed without any discrimination of class or community, terrorists did resort to ethnic cleansing in the Valley, forcing the entire population of Kashmiri Pandits to migrate outside the Valley into other parts of the State or the country.
4. Some of the techniques used by the terrorists in torturing or killing their victims are as follows :-
5. The terrorist menace has also affected the local economy due to incidents of kidnappings, extortion from business community contractors, frequent bandhs and attack on innocent tourists.