If you thought militancy kills most people in J&K, you are mistaken. According to statistics released by the state police, more civilians die in road accidents.
SRINAGAR: If you thought militancy kills most people in Jammu and Kashmir, you are mistaken. According to statistics released by the state police, more civilians die in road accidents.
About 166 civilians were killed and 464 others injured in different militancy-related incidents in 2007. In the same period, 263 people died and 2,979 were injured in road accidents. “Police and other security agencies have been able to bring down the level of violence in the state. We have also been able to minimise the collateral damage, which has furthered the process of normalisation,” said Kuldeep Khuda, director-general of J&K police.
Thanks to the improving security situation, the violence level has dropped to an all-time low. Going by the figures, there has also been a considerable drop in the number of fatalities of the security forces men in 2007.
Last year, 122 security force men laid down their lives, while in 2006, the figure was 182. Similarly, 464 militants were killed 666 arrested and 120 surrendered in 2007 while as the number of militants killed in 2006 was 591 and 874 were arrested.
The army is giving credit to the people of the state for choking the militants. “It is because of the support we are getting from the people. Whatever militancy was in 2007, the Kashmiri element was less. It was only the Pakistani component which was keeping the pot boiling. Plus the sacrifices made by security forces, police and the people have started yielding results,” said Lt Col AK Mathur, defence spokesman at Srinagar.
Security analysts, however, caution against complacency saying the militancy level might have gone down quantitatively, but it has gone up qualitatively. “Militants are facing problems of falling support, reinforcements and Pakistan’s preoccupation in north. But militants are still carrying out operations,” said MM Khajuria, former director-general of police.
h_ishfaq@dnaindia.net
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