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Infiltration down 45% since surgical strike, Kashmiri youth the future: Rajnath
Rajnath Singh reaffirmed the Narendra Modi government’s commitment to bringing peace in Kashmir and how the administration had thwarted Islamic State
Infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir dropped 45% since India struck militant bases across the Line of Control, home minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, listing a string of development initiatives for the country’s Maoist-insurgency hit regions.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi marking three years of the NDA government, Singh said the law and order situation in Kashmir had stabilised and security forces killed 368 militants in three years.
“I assure that we will bring an end to Pak-sponsored terrorism in J&K and establish peace and tranquility. Kashmir requires an integrated solution, not a piecemeal military or political approach, for a permanent resolution,” the minister said.
“The youth of Jammu & Kashmir are our youth, the youth of India, the future of India.”
His comments come after months of clashes between security forces and the public amid widespread discontent over alleged human rights abuses, such as the tying of a Kashmiri man to an army jeep.
The army has gunned down a number of militants in the past few weeks, including top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Bhat last week, but has been unable to tamp down on local anger.
On the decades-old violent insurgency in central and south India, Singh said the government had opened bank branches and post offices in strife-torn regions and upgraded air connectivity in the Maoist heartland of Bastar.
“We are expediting the process of infrastructure development in LWE areas. We have erected 2187 mobile towers in these areas.”
Singh also underlined that the government had arrested at least 90 suspected Islamic State operatives and controlled the threat of the terror group. “Despite large Muslim population in India, ISIS has not established a foothold in India.”
