Srinagar: A total of 28 people, including civilians and security personnel, were killed in 11 terror-initiated incidents and 24 encounters or counter-terror operations up to July 21 this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Responding to a query from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pradeep Kumar Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai submitted a written reply indicating a decline in terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir compared to previous years.

Rai provided data showing that 14 security personnel and 14 civilians were killed up to July 21 this year. In contrast, there were 44 fatalities (30 security personnel and 14 civilians) in 46 terrorist-initiated incidents and 48 encounters or counter-terror operations in the Union Territory in 2023. The data also revealed that in 2018, 146 people (91 security personnel and 55 civilians) were killed in 228 terrorist-initiated incidents and 189 encounters or counter-terror operations in the erstwhile state. Additionally, there were 1,328 organized stone-pelting incidents and 52 organized Hartals in 2018, according to the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Minister Rai attributed the decline in terror incidents to the central government's "zero tolerance" policy towards terrorism. He emphasized the government's approach to dismantle the terror ecosystem and strengthen security measures to sustain peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir. The strategies and actions taken to combat terrorism in the region include continuous and sustained operations against terrorists and their support structures, dismantling the terror ecosystem using a whole-government approach, and cracking down on terror finance through the seizure and attachment of properties belonging to terrorists and their associates. The government has also banned anti-national organizations and initiated preventive operations to identify and investigate strategic supporters of terrorism.

Key steps to eradicate terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir include a multi-pronged strategy to prevent infiltration, enhancement of the counter-insurgency grid, and modernization and strengthening of security equipment. Other measures include round-the-clock nakas at strategic points, intensified Cordon and Search Operations (CASO), and real-time sharing of intelligence inputs among all security forces operating in the region. Day and night area dominance are also part of the strategies adopted to contain acts of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

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