J&K will soon be terror-free: Home Minister

New Delhi, Dec 19: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah Thursday said that the government would achieve the goal of “terror-free Jammu and Kashmir” at the earliest.

Chairing a high-level security review meeting on J&K in New Delhi, the Home Minister said that in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, we will achieve the goal of “terror-free J&K” at the earliest and all resources will be made available for this.

Addressing the meeting, he said that PM Modi’s government, with the joint efforts of all security forces, was committed to establishing complete dominance over terrorism in J&K.

Shah said that the unprecedented participation of the people of J&K in the Legislative Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections shows that they had full faith in the democracy of the country.

He appreciated the efforts of the security agencies for a significant decline in terrorist incidents, infiltration and recruitment of youth in terrorist organisations.

The Home Minister said that due to the sustained and coordinated efforts of PM Modi’s government, the ecosystem of terrorism in J&K has almost ended.

He directed all security agencies to continue working in a coordinated manner to eliminate terrorism in J&K.

Shah emphasised the implementation of area domination plan and zero terror plan in mission mode.

Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha; Union Home Secretary, Director (IB), RAW chief, Chief of Army Staff, GOC-in-C (Northern Command), DGMO, Chief Secretary and DGP of J&K, heads of CAPFs, and other senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs attended the meeting.

This was Shah’s first meeting to review the security situation in J&K after the recent assembly elections that brought to power a National Conference (NC) government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

After the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two union territories in 2019, law and order in Jammu and Kashmir comes under the central government.

The Home Minister had a detailed discussion on the security roadmap for 2025, the sources said.

Sporadic terror incidents have been continuing in Jammu and Kashmir.

On October 20, seven people were killed in a terror attack in central Kashmir.

Before that, there were attacks on outsiders working in the Valley.

Shah’s meeting is expected to take note of the recent terror incidents and the possible steps to be taken on how to stop such attacks in the coming days, the sources added.

According to official data, 142 terrorists were killed in J&K in 2019 and the number is around 45 so far this year.

Fifty civilians were killed in 2019 in J&K, while the figure stood at 14 by the first week of November this year.