KL Report
New Delhi
After his recent remark that AFSPA would not be withdrawn from J&K, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has told Parliamentary panel that Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba continue to be the dominant militant groups in some areas of J&K and the issue was also taken up with Pakistan.
Addressing the consultative committee of members of Parliament attached to the home ministry that reviewed the security situation in the northern state on Wednesday, Shinde said, “the two terror outfits were mostly operating from the districts of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipore, Anantnag and Pulwama in Kashmir and Poonch, Ramban and Rajouri in Jammu region.
“This issue is being addressed from the security point of view and also taken up diplomatically with Pakistan. The state and central governments have adopted various counter-measures to neutralize the efforts and capabilities of militants and others to disturb peace in the state by inciting people towards violent agitations and protests against duly elected institutions and authority,” the minister said, according to an official statement on Thursday.
But at the same time, Shinde accepted that there is a decline in the militancy related incidents as well as causalities of civilians and security forces from 2003 onwards.
The panel members discussed the current security scenario in the state, as well as the reports of the interlocutors appointed by the central government for Jammu and Kashmir and action taken on the reports.
“The issues of migrants, rehabilitation of the surrendered militants and speedy implementation of Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Program and PM’s Package for Return and Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants to the state were also discussed.”
