The government of India has decided to persist with its muscular “no tolerance” policy towards militancy in Jammu and Kashmir even as violence in the Valley increases, a senior government official said on Saturday, a day the government forces shot dead four militants in Pulwama district, Hindustan Times reported.
Quoting a senior ministry of home affairs Hindustan Times reported that throughout the winter, counter-militancy operations by the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Indian Army along with Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police will continue unabated if not scaled up.
The decision to continue with the no tolerance policy was taken after a review in New Delhi. “We believe results will be visible soon…,” a second MHA official, who is not authorised to speak to the media, told HT.
This year, at least 180 young men from the Valley have joined militant groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e- Mohammed (JeM), among others, and around 240 suspected militants have been killed, the most since 2010. The slain militants include 12 top commanders of various militant groups. Gun battles have been followed by civilian protests.
“The balance, however, is tipping in our favour after sustained counter-terror operations from June 2018. Militant groups in the valley are leaderless, the groups are directionless and most in their ranks lack training. With winter coming in, it will be impossible for those (terrorists) in the Valley to hide in the forests or head into mountains….,” a senior officer at Army Headquarters said, explaining the Centre decision. “By March, the security situation could change.”
0 Comments