Situation improving, Centre to stick to ‘aggression’ in J&K

laxmi@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 14

Hinting the government would continue with its “aggressive stance” in Jammu and Kashmir, officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the continued tough initiatives had paid off as a substantial decline was witnessed in the number of local youths joining militant ranks and also cases of infiltration from across the border.

Quantifying the improvement in security scenario in the state compared to the corresponding period the previous year, a senior MHA official said “concerted and coordinated” efforts by forces had led to a 28 per cent decline in militant activities. 

“Cross-border infiltration has come down by 43 per cent, recruitment of local youths in terrorist ranks has dropped 40 per cent and 22 per cent more militants have been neutralised,” he added.

The official confirmed incidences of stone-pelting in the state had come down significantly to a few dozen in the first half of 2019, which were as high as 2,600 in 2016 and arrests of miscreants involved in the act had also declined drastically from over 10,500 to just about a hundred. Among those arrested, he said, only 276 were sent to jail and others were let off with warning.

Noting that a multi-disciplinary Terror Monitoring Group (TMG), which was recently constituted by the government in the state, “truly synergised” the operations by inflicting “decisive blow” on terror financing and other terror-related activities, the official said. “The government’s zero tolerance towards terrorism ensured perfect freedom for the forces. The results are here for all to see.” 

The MHA had in March this year constituted the TMG to probe and “ensure synergised and concentrated efforts against terror financing” in the state by roping in officials from all probe agencies and armed forces. It was assigned to take action against hardcore sympathisers among government employees, including teachers, who were providing covert or overt support to “terror activities”.

Even the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) has been further strengthened to enable it function round-the-clock for real-time collection and sharing of intelligence among the agencies and the state government, the official added.