Govt has failed to curb terrorism in J&K: PK

PK leaders at a press conference at Jammu on Wednesday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
PK leaders at a press conference at Jammu on Wednesday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 25: The Panun Kashmir (PK), while accusing the Government of failing to curb terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir urged it not to pursue the policy of its predecessors on J&K.
“Pursuing the policies of its predecessor Governments will not help in changing the situation in Kashmir valley and the Government of India before devising any policy on J&K should first understand the Kashmir situation fully,” Panun Kashmir Chairman, Dr Ajay Chrungoo told reporters here, today.
“We state it unambiguously that…The Government of India has failed to defeat terrorism because it has relentlessly pursued a conscious policy of not recognising the religious nature of the war unleashed in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
He referred to the killing of seven people in twin terror attacks in Dhangri village in Rajouri on January 1-2.
“We are all witness to a vicious policy of trivialisation of terror threat in Jammu and Kashmir,” he alleged.
The PK appealed to the Government of India to recognise that the primary targets of terrorist violence in Kashmir as well as Jammu are minority Hindus.
He demanded relocation of Kashmiri Pandit employees posted in Kashmiri valley to Jammu in view of threat from terrorists.
As Assembly and Parliamentary elections draw close, the vulnerability of soft targets in Jammu and Kashmir will increase immensely, he claimed.
Dr Chrungoo said selective killings in Kashmir and Jammu region is testimony to the fact that ethnic cleansing continues and there has been no change in the situation.
He said “The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah says that they have brought new policy on Kashmir to curb terror but we don’t find any change in the situation”.
He also took the Government to task for coercing the employees of minority community to join their services in Valley and surrender before the terrorists.
Dr Chrungoo said that Government should have a firm policy to curb terrorism and genocide of Pandits. He said Government was hiding many things about J&K in its statements on Kashmir and its statements that normalcy has been restored in Valley is totally childish.
He said the Dhangri terrorist attack shows that terrorism continues in the same form as it was earlier.
The Panun Kashmir leader also paid glowing tribute to 23 martyrs of Wandhhama, Ganderbal massacre who were gunned down during the night of January 24 and 25 in 1998.
PK general secretary Kuldeep Raina and its senior leaders, Bihari Lal Koul and M K Dhar were also present in the press conference.