Director General of Police Dr S. P Vaid said that the situation is better in Kashmir than last year as the level of violence and stone pelting has come down and separatists’ leaders are free to carry out their religious and peaceful activities. “There are no restrictions on our side in their religious activities. They can offer prayers whenever they want. We won’t restrict peaceful activities of the separatists. But when we have apprehension of violence, we put restriction for safety and security of people in the larger interest,” Vaid said in an interview to The Kashmir Magazine, a monthly publication of KNS Media group.
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The DGP said that the situation is better in Kashmir than last year as the level of violence and stone pelting has come down. “Not a single incident of stone pelting happens in a day compared to many incidents last year. People are doing their activities fearlessly; political workers are doing their activities in the field without fear. Business is going on; schools are functioning. But terrorism incidents do take place and our efforts are to neutralise or arrest those people who are affiliated with such activities. Many such people were arrested, cases were registered with effective investigation which has resulted in less violence in the last 10 months,” he said. The GDP, however, said the infiltration attempts have doubled than last year.
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This year the infiltration attempts have doubled than last year. Infact more than 250 attempts occurred at the border but BSF and army foiled a lot of attempts. As per some reports, 75-80 militants have infiltrated including some foreign elements of JeM (Jaish-e-Muhammad). And these are the attempts from across to sent suicidal squads JeM to boost sagging morale of militants which is down due to the continuous efforts and success of security forces to eliminate militants,” Vaid said. He said that the local recruitment of youth as militants is decreasing because the main militant leaders of the organisation who recruited these youth were neutralised. The police chief said that counselling started by police for stone pelters and roping in their parents for support has been effective for curbing stone pelting. “It has been quite effective. We have tied up with National Council for vocational training and imparting training to many youth, and many efforts are being made for counselling by trained people so that they take a right direction in their life. A lot of youth involved in stone pelting have been released and a lot counselled. 65 youth brought back from militancy to bring them in mainstream,” he said. He said that the police wants to make drug-free, gun-free and violence-free Kashmir. “Kashmir needs freedom from these three things, and for that I will request Pakistan to spare us from these three dangerous things because these things are imported like virus from Pakistan,” he said. The DGP said that he disagrees with the statements that give complete credit to NIA for improving the situation in the valley. “I don’t agree with those people who say that NIA raids and arrests have controlled stone pelting and violence in the Kashmir valley. NIA raids complemented improvement of the situation here. But NIA raids are not everything. JK police and security forces created conducive situation here and then NIA could carry out their raids. I don’t think such raids would have been possible last year (in 2016),” he said. (KNS)