National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said, on Saturday, 7 September, that restrictions in Kashmir are aimed to prevent Pakistan from creating more mischief through proxies and terrorists, reported PTI.
Doval said that intelligence reports indicate the presence of ‘some 230 terrorists’ in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, and cited intercepted calls of two terrorists where they reportedly used code language to communicate with their counterparts.
“There are Pakistani communication towers 20 km along the border, and they are trying to send messages. We heard intercepts that told their men ‘How so many apple trucks are moving, can't you stop them? Should we send you bangles?’,” NDTV reported Doval as saying.
Doval said that two terrorists were responsible for injuring 25-year-old Mohammed Irshad and two-and-a-half year old Asma Jaan, relatives of a fruit merchant Hamidullah Rather, whom they were allegedly after on Friday.
Prohibitory Orders Only in 10 of 199 Districts
Doval said that landlines had been restored fully in all parts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and that 92.5 percent of the geographical area of the region has been rid of restrictions.
He went on to say that Article 370 “Was not a special status. It was a special discrimination. With its abrogation we have brought Kashmiris at par with Indians.”
“I am fully convinced that a majority of Kashmirs totally support the abrogation of Article 370. They (Kashmiris) see greater opportunities, a better future, more jobs for youths,” Doval said. He also said that a “vocal minority” opposed it but they did not necessarily represent “the voice of the people”, PTI reported.
‘No Question of Atrocities by Army’
Talking about political detentions, he said they were preventive in nature and very much legal, which means that the government would be answerable to courts and hence, liable to be penalised for any extrajudicial action.
When questioned about the alleged human rights abuses by the Army, Doval pointed out that it is only the local police and Central paramilitary forces that have been deployed to maintain law and order. “There is no question of atrocities by the Army, whose job is only to fight terrorists,” he said.
“If anybody is interested in restoring normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir it is India,” he said. “We will not allow people to become victims of Pakistan’s machinations and its bullets sent across the border. We will do everything in power to protect the people,” Doval went on to reinforce.
‘Pakistan Bent on Creating Unrest in Kashmir’
He said Pakistan was bent on creating trouble in Kashmir, and would very much like to see unrest in the Valley, which would add grist to its anti-India propaganda.
“In a bid to achieve that aim, Pakistan has sent many terrorists into Kashmir with the intent of causing trouble, and to ensure that normalcy is not restored,” he said.
He said according to intelligence reports, some 230 terrorists were recorded in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, some of whom had sneaked across the border to create trouble by intimidating traders and local populace to prevent them from going about their business, PTI reported him as saying.
Speaking of the two civilians injured on Friday, he said that the minor victim, Asma Jaan, who is critical, will be brought to Delhi for treatment.
“Terror is the only instrument Pakistan has to create unrest in Kashmir,” he stated, adding that normalcy in Kashmir can be restored if “Pakistan starts behaving” and stops “indulging in subversive propaganda”.
Doval justified the restrictions imposed on mobile phone and Internet services, saying they can easily be used by Pakistan and terrorists for subversive activities, but the denial of these services should not prevent people from going about their lives. “Even before Internet came into our lives people were going about their lives doing business,” he said, while also acknowledging that people are unhappy with these restrictions.
Article 370 was only a tool of the political class to make money through corruption, he said. “For the common man there was nothing. For example, the article prevented many laws from being applied to Kashmir, such as right to education, women's rights, minimum wages,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI and NDTV)
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