Shah for zero tolerance towards terrorism in J&K

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday directed the security forces to show zero tolerance towards terrorism and continue strict action against terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir.

Briefing the media about the details of Shah's two-day visit to the state, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs A P Maheshwari told reporters here that the home minister directed that there should be zero tolerance against terrorism and terrorists in the state.

“The home minister reiterated that all security agencies should be fully alert and take all preventive steps to ensure a violence-free Amarnath Yatra. There should be no laxity in enforcement of special operating procedures and senior officers should continuously supervise this,” he said.

The home minister, Maheshwari said, reiterated that forces should ensure the best possible use of latest technology and, in particular, the focus should be on anti-sabotage, anti-subversion and the access control procedures.

The special secretary home, who was flanked by state chief secretary B V R Subrahmanyam, also said that Shah would review periodically the performance of the state on multiple fronts.

“The focus of the home minister’s visit has been on three issues — to ensure the poorest of the poor in the state get all the benefits of the government's schemes, to ensure that the security arrangements are beefed up so that the Yatra is conducted successfully, and if necessary, there would be further tightening of the arrangements,” he said.

Maheshwari also said that Shah has asked that prominent places in the state should be named after the policemen killed in the line of duty.

The two officers didn’t take any questions at the end of the press briefing.

Earlier, Shah visited the family of police officer Arshad Khan, who died after being injured in a fidayeen (suicide) attack on June 12 in Anantnag district, and assured his family that the government will look after them.

On his official Twitter handle, Shah said Khan’s “sacrifice for the security of our nation has saved many lives. The entire nation is proud of Arshad Khan’s valour and courage”.

During his first visit to the state as home minister, Shah held a number of meetings with officials to assess the security scenario, review preparations for Amarnath Yatra and provide good governance in the state.

He also interacted with a representative group of sarpanches from the state to gain an insight into the current state of functioning of Panchayats in the state.

“In the security review, the security agencies gave a detailed briefing on the security scenario in the state, the results of the past one year’s efforts in containing militancy and their future plans. While the improvements in the security scenario were noted and appreciated, there was a detailed discussion on what further improvements could be made for restoring peace normalcy in the state,” an official spokesperson said.