Hurriyat an outfit of terrorists, won't talk to them: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday described separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference as an "outfit of terrorist organisations" and made it clear that the Modi government will never engage with it for any dialogue.

Participating in a special discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Shah also said that there was a time when leaders of the Hurriyat Conference got VIP treatment and the government used to have dialogue with it.

"There used to be a red carpet for the Hurriyat. Representatives of the Manmohan Singh government used to have talks with them. We banned all the constituents of the Hurriyat and everyone is now behind bars. We do not want to talk to Hurriyat.

"I wish to reiterate the Narendra Modi government's policy -- Hurriyat is an outfit of terror organisations. We will not speak to them. We will speak to the youth of the valley," he said.

The Hurriyat, formed in 1993, is an amalgam of several Jammu and Kashmir-based separatist organisations. It has been considered as a pro-Pakistan group for its views, activities and political statements over the years.

Talking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said from 2004 to 2014, there were 7,217 terrorist incidents in Kashmir and from 2014 to 2025, these incidents have come down by 70 per cent to 2,150.

"From 2004 to 2014, 1,770 civilians died. This reduced by 80 per cent to 357 from 2014 to 2025. From 2004 to 2014, the number of deaths of security personnel was 1,060. This decreased to 542 in our time. And there was a 123 per cent increase in the deaths of terrorists," he said.

The home minister said between 2005 and 2011, there were 27 terrorist attacks but what did the Congress government do, they just sent dossiers to Pakistan.

"Terrorists are now sent from Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir as there are no local terrorists in Kashmir. Scrapping of Article 370 has destroyed terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.