Srinagar/ Aug,4: Sending tourists back from Kashmir and curtailing the Amarnath yatra is certainly a setback to bring normalcy in Kashmir, feels Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik. “It’s certainly a step backward. Things had improved in the last year. But it was a compulsion because of the enhanced threat.” He said while in the last few months stone-pelting had come down and even local recruitment by terror groups was on the low. The governor even said that holding the state assembly elections was also possible in the current scenario.
There was a fear of hundreds of people dying in a fidayeen attack as Pakistan made attempts to aid massive infiltration of terrorists, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik told India Today TV, justifying the decision to ask tourists to leave Kashmir. He blamed the political leaders of Kashmir for indulging in rumour mongering that has sparked panic among the locals.
Talking about the potential militant threats, he said there was a flurry of information that 3-4 militant launchpads were extremely active and wanted to sneak in the militants. “I have given three statements nothing is going to happen. Leaders here spreading rumours. Nobody from Delhi has talked about it to me about Article 35 A or anything of that sort. There is no substance in this. It’s all a rumour.” He also added that political leaders also misrepresented the information about additional troops from the Central Armed Police Forces being sent to Kashmir. “This was a routine de-induction, happens all the time.”
He said a “pure security measure” has been given a different colour. Referring to seizures of weapons and explosives made by the security forces recently in Kashmir he said, “Hundreds would have died if those weapons were used. When Pulwama happened everybody abused us. We didn’t want a repeat of that. There was definite information on fidayeen attack and Pakistan precipitating it.
The governor said he had never seen so many fighter jets fly and the number of Sukhois on standby in Srinagar because of the situation on the border.
