Srinagar
Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army General Ved Prakash Malik on Wednesday said that closing the Srinagar-Jammu highway for civil movement is a dumb idea.
In a tweet, the army chief said that ban on the civil movement on the highway is a dumb idea and goes against the core object of winning hearts and minds. He also said that the civil administration of the state must look into the other aspects of the decision as well.
“Kashmir. Ban on move of civ vehs on NH twice a week is a dumb idea 1. Goes against core object of winning hearts & minds. 2. Civil Adm must weigh pros & cons 3. Instead of strengthening local police & int, & improving move security, shows forces becoming over defensive,” army chief tweeted.
Earlier, the State Government of J&K notified specified days in a week for the movement of government forces from Srinagar to Jammu. According to order, during these days, no civilian traffic would be allowed on National Highway.
The government has notified two dedicated days in a week Sunday and Wednesday exclusively for movement of government forces convoys and there would be a complete ban on civilian traffic on the highway during these two days from 4 AM to 5 PM. This prohibition would be from Baramulla through Srinagar, Qazigund, Jawahar-Tunnel, Banihal and Ramban till Udhampur.
