Opinion | Why Centre has deployed more troops in Kashmir
The situation in Kashmir valley appears to be tense after the state Home department on Friday advised all tourists and Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to leave the valley at the earliest. Non-Kashmiri students staying in the hostels of National Institute of Technology in Srinagar have been asked to leave the Valley. Nearly 28,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in the past one week and around 32,500 troops will be disengaged from Amarnath Yatra security arrangements and moved to other parts of the Valley.
Both the Centre and the Jammu & Kashmir governor have allayed fears of political leaders about any move to abrogate Article 35A of the Constitution that bars outsiders from purchasing property and from getting jobs in state government.
Army and police officials have said that there are intelligence inputs about a major possible terror strike by Pakistan supported terror outfits during Amarnath Yatra, after a US-made sniper rifle, anti-personnel mines and explosives were seized on the yatra route. There are also reports of Pakistan army moving jihadi terrorists back to the Line of Control to carry out cross-border attacks.
Meanwhile, Kashmiri politicians in the Valley are busy with their rabble rousing remarks. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has alleged that the Centre is trying to throttle democracy in the valley. Mehbooba has said that the people of J&K had agreed to accession with the Indian Union in 1947 on the condition that their separate identity would be protected. She has also said that any step towards removing Articles 35A and 370 from the Constitution will have major repercussions.
The common people in the Valley is flummoxed because of unending rumours and panic being created by vested interests. They should trust the Army and state police, whose senior officials said on Friday that Pakistan is planning to carry out major terror strikes in the Valley to shore up the sagging morale of terrorists. The security forces are working on twin objectives: one, to foil Pakistani plot and crush terrorism, and two, preventing youths from joining militant outfits.
Meanwhile, there are moves afoot to hold assembly elections in J&K before winter sets in this year, and the deployment of troops could be one of the steps to ensure a peaceful poll. The common people in the Valley should not be misguided by the fear psychosis that is sought to be created by vested political interests.
Watch full episode here:
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9 PM
India’s Number One and the most followed Super Prime Time News Show ‘Aaj Ki Baat – Rajat Sharma Ke Saath’ was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show is redefining India’s super-prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries.
