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Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led regime's policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism has allowed the people of Jammu and Kashmir to breathe freely. They are eagerly waiting to host the G-20 summit in Srinagar and send a message to the world that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is on its last leg in the Himalayan region.
India announced Srinagar as the venue for the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting scheduled to take place from May 22 to 24.
As of date, the number of active terrorists in J & K has declined to an all-time low with just around 50 terrorists being active in the Himalayan region. It's for the first time since 1990 when Pakistan-sponsored insurgency broke out in J & K, the number of terrorists has fallen below the 70-mark.
After the abrogation of Article 370--a temporary provision in the Constitution, on August 5, 2019--the security forces have cast a web around the terror ecosystem from all sides. The crackdown on stone-pelters, separatists and terror financers has broken the back of terrorists. Nefarious designs of terrorist handlers sitting across the Line of Control to airdrop weapons and cash through drones have also been thwarted as the security forces are maintaining a tight vigil.
In 2017 there were about 350 terrorists active in the region. In 2023, the number has fallen below 50, top police officials said.
During the past three years, the J & K Police and the central armed forces have managed to control terrorism to a large extent by dismantling the system that sustained Pakistan-sponsored insurgency for nearly three decades.
When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India in 2014, he promised the nation that the regime led by him won't tolerate terrorism. PM Modi has kept his word about zero tolerance to terrorism and has pulled Jammu and Kashmir out of a quagmire of uncertainty and chaos fueled by Pakistan and its stooges in the Himalayan region.
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After J & K's transition into a Union Territory and scrapping of Article 370, PM Modi-led dispensation launched a decisive battle against terrorism in the region. Security forces were given clear-cut instructions to act tough against terrorists and their supporters but with a word of caution that innocents shouldn't be touched. During the past three years, terrorists and their supporters have been nailed and no innocent has been harassed. Collateral damage during encounters with the terrorists has been brought down providing much-needed relief to the common people. On the other hand properties of the separatists and a few elements who willfully allowed their houses to be used as terror hideouts have been seized.
Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting in New Delhi to review J & K security. He expressed satisfaction over the lowest-ever count of terrorists in the Union Territory. He directed the security top brass to expedite the efforts to root out remaining terrorists to make peace a permanent feature.
Shah hailed the efforts of police and other security forces for putting in their best to root out terrorism from J & K soil and exuded hope that the number of terrorists in J & K would fall to zero soon.
The Union Home Minister appreciated police, security forces and central agencies, including NIA, working in close coordination with each other to achieve the goal of a terrorism-free Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar hosting the G-20 meeting is ample proof of the fact that the people of J & K have rejected Pakistan's propaganda and its agents who sold them illusions like "Azadi". People have rejected violence and embraced peace. They have endorsed all the decisions of the Centre and are moving on the path of prosperity.
It's a great achievement for the people. It's an indication that J & K has shunned the tag of being a terror-hit region marred by violence, street protests, cross-firings and grenade attacks.
Just three years ago, no one would have even thought that Srinagar would host the representatives of the most powerful countries in the world. But the sincere and dedicated efforts put in by the government and the security forces have transformed the "terror capital" of India into the most happening place in the country.
Pertinently, when the Centre announced its decision to end the 70-year-old status quo of J & K by scrapping its so-called special status and dividing it into two Union Territories, Kashmir-based politicians went into mourning and predicted that J & K's connection with India has ended. They accused the Centre of burning the bridge (Article 370). They warned that the Union Territory would descend into chaos and eventually fall into the lap of Pakistan.
None of their predictions came true. As of date they are acting as fence sitters and are counting the mistakes they made when they were in power.
These politicians are aware of the fact that terrorism is about to end, J & K has witnessed massive development and the local youth have said no to guns. But they are refusing to acknowledge it. They are still in denial mode as for them nothing has changed. But everyone knows that they have closed their eyes and don't want to see how the ground situation has improved.
Till politicians ruled Jammu and Kashmir they had created an impression that peace could not prevail in the Himalayan region till talks are held with Pakistan and the terrorist leaders supported by it.
The zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism followed by the PM Modi-led regime has shattered all the myths. It has been proven beyond doubt that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in J & K is the mother of all ills and it has to be wiped out to end all the fake narratives that were built during the past three decades.
After 2019, stone-pelting, street protests, preaching anti-India narrative and shutdowns have become history. J & K people, especially the denizens of Kashmir, are working around the clock without any fear, threat or intimidation.
The gun-wielding terrorists and the separatists, who used to dictate terms, have lost their addresses as the present dispensation in the Centre has cut them to size.
People of J & K, especially the valley, have been the biggest beneficiaries. They are reaping the dividends of peace. Tourism season has become a year-long activity and people are eagerly waiting for the G-20 meeting to be held in Srinagar. They are least interested in what Pakistan is saying and the opinions of the politicians, who misled them for 70-long years.
A common man in J & K has become an equal stakeholder in peace and has endorsed the policy of zero-tolerance to terrorism by becoming the eyes and ears of the security forces in the Union Territory.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
