On Thursday, in a first after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Jammu Kashmir today. There have been growing tensions in the Kashmir valley after the changing situation in Afghanistan.
The attendees for the meeting were – the army chief MM Naravane, L.G of the U.T Manoj Sinha, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Secretary Raw Samant Goel, Paramilitary Chief Pankaj Singh of the B.S.F and Kuldip Singh of CRPF, and other stakeholders.
As per a report by NDTV, Manoj Sinha said that they will conduct a review of the development and security situation of the Union Territory.
Asked about reports of growing tensions, he said that the security situation was continuously under watch.
“Some restrictions were imposed after Syed Ali Shah Geelani passed away, but now are lifted, and the first Friday after Geelani’s death has also passed peacefully,” NDTV quoted him saying.
Reports indicate that tensions were growing in many pockets of South Kashmir, especially in Sopore, Shopian, and downtown Srinagar city.
“The situation in Afghanistan has acted as a big boost for radical elements in Kashmir and we are continuously monitoring it,” the NDTV report quoted a senior police officer from the valley.
“Pakistan is going to escalate efforts to push up violence levels in Jammu and Kashmir so we need to further tighten up our security grid,” he added.
The report also quoted figures from the home ministry, according to which 82 people had gone missing from their homes and it was indicated that they had joined militant groups.
Another concerning issue was that of the higher number of ‘local’ militant killings this year, as per the report. Among 120 militants killed in the first 8 months this year only 10 percent were foreign terrorists and the rest were all locals.
The Home ministry figures also indicated that around 200 militants were active in the Valley, most of whom belonged to Jaish and Lashkar, while a few belonged to Al Badr, said the report.