J&K CM Omar Abdullah says ‘not possible to wipe out militancy without taking people along’

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister has stated that militancy in the region cannot be wiped out without people’s support. His comments come a day after an encounter between security personnel and a group of militants that infiltrated from across the border and were hiding in a dense nursery in Saniyal village of Kathua district.

The search operations continued for the second day after a brief exchange of fire on March 23 evening. The militants are believed to have escaped during the night.

Talking about the development, Abdullah said, “So far, there has been no contact. The search and cordon are due to some suspicious movement. Now let us see how the situation develops.”

“The area being close to the International Border; in all probability, they are likely to have come from there (Pakistan),” he said.

Responding to the recent surge in militant activity in the Kathua-Billawar area, Abdullah said that incidents like these have been reported in Rajouri-Poonch districts also time and again.

“I keep on saying that without taking the people along, it will not be possible to wipe out militancy in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

A series of terror incidents over the past year has occurred in Kathua which has emerged as a key infiltration route for Pakistan-based terrorists. They take the route to reach the higher areas of Udhampur, Doda, and Kishtwar districts and further into Kashmir.

Referring to the efforts to end militancy, the CM said that “though directly this does not come under our area of responsibility, our elected government is making efforts to help that situation remains cordial and under control.”

According to sources, security forces have deployed drones to track the militants, but they have not been sighted so far.

A massive search operation was jointly launched by security forces and police following reports about the presence of militants in the forests.