On the North-East, the report says, major initiatives should be undertaken for the infrastructural development of the region
A Congress report on national security, prepared by Lt Gen (Retd) DS Hooda, who led the 2016 surgical strikes, suggests that a "peaceful resolution" to internal conflicts will "significantly boost" India's security, enable the citizens to "live in harmony" and "fully utilise" the benefits of "India's growth".
Calling the situation in Jammu & Kashmir as "India's biggest internal security challenge", Lt Gen DS Hooda's report said, "There are two key factors responsible for the continuing strife in J&K. First, the constant support of Pakistan to terror activities in the state. The second factor fuelling the conflict is the sense of anger and alienation among sections of the population," the report said, adding, "This is exacerbated by growing radicalisation", and the separatists "exploiting the narrative of the Kashmiri identity being under threat."
The report claimed that "from a low in 2012", there has been a "steady increase in violence levels in the past six years" in the Valley.
The report said "another worrying trend" is the rise in number of local youths joining terror ranks. "Local recruitment has jumped from 16 in 2013 to almost 200 in 2018," it said.
Stating that the poorly equipped local terrorists are no match for the Army, the report, however, said their funerals become a "recruiting ground for more youth to pick up the gun".
Arguing that the perceptions and a fear of the future are the key factors in triggering conflict in J&K, the report said, "The government must have a well-crafted information campaign that attempts to replace uncertainty and fear with hope."
The report said there is a need for a "clearly defined political objective" to "mainstream" J&K with the rest of India.
On the North-East, the report said, major initiatives should be undertaken for the infrastructural development of the region.
It added that the problem of illegal immigration needs to be tackled with "wisdom and maturity". On the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the report said, "Issues related to people who are finally excluded from the NRC will have to be well thought-out because a large excluded population could be vulnerable to exploitation and become a security risk."
On the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the report said the "hasty introduction" of the legislation, without "prior political consensus", could "reignite identity fears and lead to violence".
On Left Wing Extremism, the report said there has been a "considerable improvement" of the situation and the success can be attributed to the "holistic approach" of the anti-Naxalite Division of the Union Home Ministry.
Stating that a serious attempt must be made to adopt a unified approach to counter the Maoist insurgency, the report said security forces, who are doing an "outstanding job", need to be strengthened in three crucial areas – intelligence, joint operations and training.
ON NORTH-EAST
On the North-East, the report said, major initiatives should be undertaken for the infrastructural development of the region. It added that the problem of illegal immigration needs to be tackled with “wisdom and maturity”
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 "Retd Lt Gen DS Hooda (C) along with P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh in New Delhi during the report’s release")
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