The Union home ministry on Wednesday sent a team of officials to Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the situation following a series of attacks on telecom towers in the state.
This comes as the local administration and police claimed to have restored operation of 600 mobile transmission towers of the 1,058 that were damaged or shut after militant attacks and threats to owners of properties the towers stand on.
The central team headed by Rajit Punhani, joint secretary (Kashmir), will review the security situation in the Valley in view of the persistent targeting of the mobile telephone infrastructure by militants.
Sources said the team will make an on-the-spot assessment and submit its report to the home ministry as well as the Prime Minister’s Office.
The restoration of operations comes at a time when United Jehad Council (UJC) — a conglomerate of 13 militant outfits headed by Syed Salahuddin who is based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir — asked mobile operators to resume their operations across the Valley.
“There are black sheep using the name of militant groups and people must unmask them,” UJC spokesperson Syed Sadaqat told a Srinagar-based news agency.
{{/usCountry}}“There are black sheep using the name of militant groups and people must unmask them,” UJC spokesperson Syed Sadaqat told a Srinagar-based news agency.
{{/usCountry}}“Wherever such traitors harass respected people, telecom companies, and people associated with it, people should catch hold of them and punish them,” added the spokesperson.
Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also condemned the attacks on mobile telephony infrastructure. Hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Geelani had earlier described the attackers as “enemies of people and their struggle”.