Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has said that the fear of terrorists and their ecosystems in the Kashmir Valley is almost over, and places like Pulwama, which were earlier in the news for wrong reasons, are now attracting more industries than in Srinagar.
Talking to members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce on Saturday evening, LG said that so far only one local terrorist recruitment has been recorded in Kashmir this year.
Sinha said, “Investment is being invested in Anantnag and Pulwama districts of Kashmir Valley. More industrial units have been set up in Pulwama than Srinagar. The fear of terrorists and their ecosystems is almost over.”
He said that Pulwama district, who lived in the news for wrong reasons, saw heavy participation of youth in rallies during every house tricolor campaign.
He said, “Thousands of young Indians came out with the flag and the world saw it. There were many villages in Shopian and Pulwama where neither police nor government officials. Now people of those villages are also participating in it.”
Considering the improvement in the situation in the valley, Sinha said that Lal Chowk, which used to get depressed after sunset, now remains alive till late evening.
He said that slogans of Bharat Mata are being raised in every city and village, there was a strike in the valley for 150 days at the behest of the neighboring country, but there was no strike in the last five years.
Sinha said, “The recruitment of terrorists at the local level is almost zero. The same recruitment has been done so far this year. Earlier every day there used to be stone pelting at some place, but now it has become history.”
He said, “There was a time when a terrorist was killed, the entire valley would be closed and school-college would be closed. Now that situation is over.”
Referring to the protests in Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack on 22 April, the Lieutenant Governor said that people have now come out on the streets against the terrorists.
He said, “He said,” I had not seen in the last five years that the people of Kashmir stood against terrorists and Pakistan for a week after the attack. Many elders said that they too have never seen so before. I think I think there has been a big change and the whole country is behind this change. “