Restrictions will continue over individuals, groups threat to security & sovereignty of India: LG Sinha

Srinagar, Sep 13: The Lieutenant Governor J&K Manoj Sinha has said that individuals or groups who pose threat to security and sovereignty of India will remain under restrictions in future also. He said the government has succeeded in wiping out stone pelting in valley, while as efforts are on to dismantle terrorism and its ecosystem in J&K.

LG Sinha added that there is no restriction on the movement of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and he is free to go anywhere.

“I reiterate that there is no restriction on the movement of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Yes, if he smells any threat to his life and security men advising him to limit his movement, then the matter is different. He has to decide himself whether he should venture out or not. Security men deployed at him can take a call. But there is no restriction from my side. This is not the case of Mirwaiz only, the government has not restricted any religious person or a politician in Jammu & Kashmir,” LG Sinha said.

He however added, "The restrictions will remain upon those persons and groups who are inimical to security and sovereignty of India, and such restrictions will continue in future as well”.

Speaking at Aaj Tak’s Panchayat, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said since Article 370 was abrogated, the stone pelting in Kashmir has become a past, while as efforts are one to wipe out left out terrorism and its ecosystem.

“Post abrogation of Article 370 the stone pelting has ended, while terrorism still exists in few areas. Security forces are being hit, and incidents of targeted killings took place occasionally. Earlier Kashmir and its terrorism was a grave concern for India, and when I joined the office of LG J&K, it was a challenge for me to contain the situation. But today I can say there is no top militant commander alive in J&K. All have been killed. Stone pelting is over. Efforts are on to wipe out left out terrorism and its ecosystem. The government has achieved a lot on this front,” LG Sinha said.

He held that only wiping out militancy cannot resolve the matter, but there is need to chalk out well-built strategy so that terrorism and its ecosystem will get wiped out perpetually. “With the killing of terrorists alone the matter is not going to resolve. There is a need to end its ecosystem. Due to coordinated efforts in last few years, we have seen a decline in local militant recruitment. International events like G20 happened in Srinagar and elections held peacefully. This frustrated our neighbor who has strategized things accordingly. They have started to send infiltrators in J&K to continue its nefarious designs. But I assure people of J&K, and India that these people (infiltrators) will be sent back where from they have come. We don’t believe in buying peace, rather it will be established now,” Lieutenant Governor said.