No family member of terrorists, stone-pelters will get govt job in J-K, says Amit Shah

New Delhi, May 27

Sending a tough message, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that no family member of any terrorist nor close relatives of stone-pelters will get government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah said the Narendra Modi government had not only targeted terrorists but also eliminated the terror ecosystem, resulting in a drastic fall in terror incidents in the country.

“In Kashmir, we have taken a decision that if someone joins a terrorist organisation, their family members will not get a government job,” he told PTI in an interview over the weekend.

Similarly, Shah said, if someone indulges in stone-pelting, his family members will also not get a government job.

He said some human rights activists went to the Supreme Court against the decision but the government prevailed.

The home minister, however, said the government would make an exception in case someone from a family came forward and informed the authorities that his or her close relative had joined a terror outfit. Such families would be given relief, he said.

Earlier, funeral processions used to be taken out in Kashmir after a terrorist was killed, Shah said. “We have stopped this trend. We have ensured that the terrorist is buried with all religious formalities but in an isolated place,” he said.

The home minister said when a terrorist is surrounded by the security forces, he is first given a chance to surrender. “We call family members like his mother or wife and ask them to make an appeal to the terrorist to surrender. If he (the terrorist) does not listen, he dies,” Shah said.

The home minister said terror incidents have gone down significantly in Jammu and Kashmir as the government has not only targeted the terrorists but also eliminated the terror ecosystem.

“Through the NIA (National Investigation Agency), we have taken strong action against terror funding and ended it. We have taken a very tough stand on terror funding,” he said.

In case of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), Shah said the government has imposed a ban on publication and spread of the terrorist ideology by it.

Muslim radical group PFI, founded in Kerala, was banned under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the Centre in September 2022 over its alleged links with terror activities.