Cong chief says security situation in JK ‘deteriorating’
Terrorism on rise in Jammu region: G A Mir
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra on Monday questioned the BJP’s claim of normalcy after the abrogation of Article 370 and demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the “deteriorating” security situation in the union territory.
He said the frequent terror incidents, especially in the Jammu region, indicate that the militancy has shifted base from Kashmir to the otherwise peaceful region, which is negating the BJP’s “false narrative” that terrorism has ended in the union territory.
Karra was speaking to reporters at the Congress headquarters ahead of the start of the party’s intensified campaign for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
His remarks came a day after security forces on Sunday launched a massive offensive to neutralise a group of terrorists who took shelter in a dense nursery after infiltrating from across the border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district in the Jammu region.
The operation to track the terrorists entered the second day on Monday.
“The Congress has been repeatedly saying that a wrong impression is being created at the national and international level that the situation has improved and peace restored with the end of militancy after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019,” Karra said.
“If the government is claiming that everything is alright, then why has militancy intensified in the Jammu region that has been declared militancy-free by the previous popular governments,” he said.
Karra accused the BJP of sacrificing the national interest over its interests by ignoring the security threat.
“We request the government to call an all-party meeting to deliberate on measures to control the growing militancy, which is the biggest concern for all of us,” he said.
The Congress leader said the central government is answerable to the people over the growing terror activities as Jammu and Kashmir Police is directly under its control.
“The terrorists are striking at will… the ongoing operation in Hiranagar in Kathua is the latest example,” he said.
The central government should give up its “misadventure” as the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not in the national interest.
Karra further said, “The BJP should stop selling its hollow narrative and instead take effective and positive measures to deal with the situation otherwise it will continue to deteriorate further.”
The Congress has flagged the issue time and again but the central government has taken no action except holding security review meetings, he said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader G A Mir raised the matter of the rise in terrorism in the Jammu region, urging authorities to take measures to prevent its resurgence in the region which had been peaceful for years.
Congress national general secretary G A Mir said he was astonished at the rise in terror attacks in the region over the past two years.
“It is astonishing that the militancy is increasing in Jammu region. It is a matter of concern. The terror incidents have increased in Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, Doda, Kishtwar and Samba districts over the last two years,” he told reporters outside the Assembly here.
The Dooru constituency MLA said it seemed to him that the neighbouring adversary had been leveraging potential security gaps and demanded a thorough examination of the whole apparatus.
“We have big security experts in the country. Those who monitor the situation in Jammu and Kashmir should be questioned as to what is happening,” he said.
Mir also criticised the BJP over the apparent security failures and its claims of peace post-Article 370 abrogation.
“The government was formed after the elections. However, they (the state) do not have control over the security and law and order machinery. The law and order is in the hands of the Union home ministry and Lieutenant Governor,” he said.
Congress MLA Iftikhar Ahmed said, “Recent terror incidents expose the failure of security agencies … We condemn it.”
As it happened, a search operation continues in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district, following an encounter between terrorists and security forces Sunday night.
The operation, launched after a police team encountered heavy resistance while investigating a “dhok” in Sanyal village near the International Border, saw a fierce exchange of gunfire lasting over half an hour, with a girl injured.
