Stating that ‘Pakistan-sponsored terrorism’ would be dealt with ‘the way it should be dealt with’, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday accused Islamabad of using the social media and WhatsApp to instigate the youth in Kashmir to storm encounter sites to help holed-up militants. This, the Home Minister said, was an attempt not only to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir but the country itself.
Responding to TMC MP Saugata Roy, who expressed concern saying the situation in the Kashmir Valley was very grave and sought his intervention, Singh said the security forces were firmly dealing with terrorism and their efforts would surely be successful.
He said elements with centres based in Pakistan were trying to mislead the youth in Kashmir who in turn were pelting stones on security forces. The Home Minister said the strife-torn region had seen a ‘new trend’ of late in which youths from nearby villages gather at the sites of encounter between security forces and terrorists and pelt stones to help the militants holed-up there to flee.
“I will appeal to youths not to be misled by Pakistan. Some social media applications like Whatsapp and Facebook are used to gather youths at places of encounters. These groups are based in Pakistan. Security forces are dealing with terrorists exactly the way they should and will continue to do so. I want to say that we will definitely be successful,” he said.
Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are trying to destabilise not only Kashmir but also entire India, Rajnath said.
K C Venugopal (Congress) also raised the issue of deaths of civilians.
Roy noted that he was a member of the all-party delegation which had visited Kashmir earlier and the situation there had again become very grave. The TMC member quoted the State Director-General of Police saying that youth were committing suicide by coming way in the way of security forces and asked them to stay indoors. Roy had earlier sought the Speaker that the issue (situation in Kashmir) be listed in next week’s agenda . The echo of stone pelting in Kashmir also reverberated in the Upper House where a BJP MP demanded strict action against those who interfere and block the anti-militancy operations.
During the Zero Hour Shambhu Prasadji Tundiya cited the recent incident of Budgam in Kashmir where the security forces had to deal with an aggressive stone-pelting mob while being engaged in an encounter with a holed-up militant. The security forces had to fight not just the militant but also the stone-pelters who were trying to provide him the cover to escape, he said.
Due to the stone-pelting, around 60 security personnel were injured, Tundiya said and added that of the injured, 43 belonged to the CRPF and others to the J&K police. In the incident, three stone-pelters were killed in the action by the security forces.
Praising the security forces for having gunned down the lone militant in Budgam encou-nter, Tundiya said strict action should be taken against those who create obstacles in the functioning of the security forces.
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and several other BJP members were seen raising hands to associate with the matter raised by Tundiya.