Working for permanent solution: Rajnath
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 13: Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said today that operation to cleanse Kashmir valley from armed terrorists was on and security forces have achieved very major successes, both in the hinterland as well as on the Line of Control (LoC) and no militant, even their ‘commanders’ can now think of surviving for a very long period.
Jaitley, the Finance Minister, who holds additional charge of the Defence Ministry, said de-monetization followed by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) raids on separatists, have squeezed financial resources of militants and their sympathizers, which have helped security forces a lot in their efforts to eliminate terrorists and control the street protests to large extent.
Addressing Vande Mataram conclave of India TV followed by question-answer session for about 40 minutes, Jaitley declared that the militants were on the run in the Kashmir valley and security forces including Army, Central Paramilitary Forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police were in complete command of the situation.
Speaking on the same channel, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the Centre was working towards permanent solution to Kashmir problem.
Jaitley said that on the LoC and International Border (IB) also, Army and BSF have been dominating Pakistan completely and not allowing infiltration attempts by the militants to succeed.
“The militants are on the run. Now, no militant or their commanders can think of surviving for decades. First, when a commander used to be killed, another one took over. You can see frequent change of the commanders because of the regular elimination of terrorists by the security forces, who are reaching to the every new commander easily. The militants are being killed in large numbers,” the Defence Minister said.
To a question as to what would be the next step of the Government after cleansing up the armed terrorists, Jaitley evaded a direct reply saying he would reveal it later.
Asserting that demonetization and NIA raids on separatists and others (involved in terror funding and protests) have yielded very positive results in the Kashmir valley, Jaitley said: “earlier hundreds of people used to gather the site of encounters and, sometimes, they had even succeeded in facilitating escape of the militants by resorting to stone pelting and protests.
“But now, the situation has completely changed. Despite calls, hardly 20 to 30 protesters were gathering at the site of encounters and they were being tackled effectively, leading to successful operations against the militants and elimination of the top commanders”.
He said this was the result of squeezing of funds the sympathizers of terrorists were getting to facilitate protests due to demonetization and action taken by the NIA (on hawala operators, who were funding terrorism and unrest in the Kashmir valley). Following demonetization, he added, the militants started looting banks to cope up with the fund shortage. However, he added, the Government has now stepped-up security of the banks.
“The Indian State has shown its strength in fighting terrorism,” he remarked in response to a question as to why such an action against militants, separatists and their sympathizers was not taken earlier.
Jaitley said while taking bold measures against terrorists, the security forces have been ensuring that the common man doesn’t suffer.
“The common man has to be dissociated from the terrorists and separatists. Their problems have been minimized. Sometimes, the people become sympathizers of terrorists because of the harassment faced by them during anti-terror operations. Security forces have been seeing to it that miseries of the common people are minimized while undertaking successful operation against the terrorists,” he added.
Describing NIA raids as “major assault on terror funding”, the Defence Minister said when the resources of militants and their sympathizers are hit, their power to woo the people towards them will be finished.
Outlining, the Central Government strategy against militants in Kashmir, Jaitley said the armed militants trapped in the encounters have to give up arms or get killed while the funds of terrorists will be squeezed. On the LoC and IB, “we have been using best technology and manpower of the Army and BSF to counter terrorists”.
Replying to another question, Jaitley said a debate has now started amongst the people of Kashmir that while kin of separatists are studying in foreign, they are enjoying comfortable life and have amassed huge assets, other youths are being given Rs 500 (by these separatists) to pelt stones on security forces.
“The people will soon realize this reality,” he averred.
On LoC and IB with Pakistan, Jaitley said the infiltration by militants have been contained to large extent and our troops were completely dominating LoC as well as IB.
On ISIS threat the Defence Minister said India has by and large been free from IS threat, which has affected many countries.
“At least, we haven’t been affected by the IS threat. There were some exceptional cases of IS indoctrination but they have been tackled very well,” he asserted.
Jaitley, however, refrained from making any comment on the standoff between India and China in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan trijunction, just saying “let us have full faith on our security forces”.
“Since independence, Pakistan has never agreed that Kashmir is an integral part of India. That has been their unfinished agenda. They tried conventional war. But India’s capability was way ahead in the conventional war. The wars of 1965, 1971 and Kargil clearly proved this,” he said.
Jaitley said in the 1990s, they started changing their strategies and resorted to encouraging terrorism inside the country.
To a question about beheading and mutilation of Indian security force personnel by Pakistan, Jaitley said “what happened after that, has been seen by everyone”. He was apparently referring to the surgical strike inside the parts of Pakistan occupied Kashmir after the incident.
The Defence Minister expressed concern over some instances of glorifying the acts of terrorists or Maoists.
Referring to shouting of ‘anti-India slogans by some in Jawaharlal Nehru University last year, he expressed concern over the association of mainstream political parties with those raising such slogans.
Jaitley said a disturbing trend is coming up where efforts are being made to show the Indian state as helpless.
To questions on India’s defence production, Jaitley said his ministry was working out ways to boost domestic production for the defence sector.
“We want India to become a global power in defence manufacturing sector, and towards that end, we are encouraging private players to come forward. We will, of course, also continue to strengthen our ordnance factories and defence PSUs,” the Minister said.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the incidents of stone pelting in Kashmir valley had declined and that the Centre was working towards a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue.
Singh also lauded the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s efforts in curbing terrorism and added that the State Government had not posed any obstruction in the fight against terrorism.
“…Whatever steps we are now taking in Kashmir is towards a permanent solution of the issue. I will not like to clarify much, and it would not be proper too. Kashmir should maintain its identity,” Singh said while replying to questions on the Kashmir issue at an event organised by India TV.
There has been a decline in incidents of stone pelting in the valley, but the Government is “not satisfied with this and stone pelting must stop altogether”, he said.
“We have to provide jobs to Kashmiri youths,” he added.
Speaking on the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley, the Minister said various steps were taken during the tenure of the late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and that land was earmarked for their stay in the Valley.
“At that time it was decided that a certain percentage of people from other communities would also be settled with them. But conditions have changed thereafter for the worse, and the implementation is getting delayed. I cannot say that this will happen in a year or six months. It cannot be done in a hurry,” he said.
Singh retreated the Government’s stand that talks with Pakistan would resume only after it stopped the use of its soil for terror activities against India.
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