Srinagar:
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has warned that mass arrests and demolition of houses will only worsen the situation in the Valley. His comments came after the police detained over 2,000 people whom they described as terrorists’ overground workers, following the killing of a policeman in a targeted attack in Anantnag on Wednesday.
The security forces also destroyed two houses belonging to the families of two terrorists. “Demolition of houses or arresting thousands of people will not improve the situation. It can rather worsen the situation,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister said that demolition of houses in Kashmir was also carried out after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, and at that time, he had asked the central government to stop the bulldozing of homes.
Later, the investigation found that not a single terrorist involved in the Pahalgam attack was Kashmiri, he added.
Abdullah said that real peace cannot be achieved by force but only with people’s support. “I hope we take our people along in the fight against terrorism. Only then will we achieve real success,” he added.
Demolition Of Terrorists’ Houses
Security forces destroyed the house belonging to the family of Adil Ahmad Thokar, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, with a massive blast during overnight operations on Wednesday. The blast also damaged adjacent houses, a mosque and a parked vehicle.
This is the second time a house belonging to the Thokar family has been destroyed. After the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April last year, security forces had destroyed their home in Anantnag’s Bijbehara area. They built a new house and shifted a few months ago, said a neighbour.
According to locals, the family was asked to vacate the house last night before it was destroyed. The house belonging to the family of Haroon Rashid, another Laskar terrorist, was also destroyed.
Both Haroon and Adil have been active since 2018.
Even as the local terror recruitment has dropped to almost zero and there is no record of any local joining terrorist groups over the last seven months, officials say a few surviving terrorists can still cause trouble with the help of intruders from Pakistan.
Cop Killed In Anantnag
On Wednesday, a policeman, Ashique Ahmad Qureshi, was killed in a terror attack in a busy market in Anantnag. The police immediately launched raids and searches across Kashmir and detained hundreds of suspects for questioning.
Officials suggest around 2,000 suspected overground workers (OGWs) – a term for those working for or supporting terrorist groups – have been taken into custody, including 700 in Srinagar district alone.
In a statement, the police said the major operation that followed was aimed at dismantling the ecosystem supporting terrorism.
“Srinagar Police conducted extensive district-wide raids across multiple locations following the recent terror incident in Anantnag. The coordinated operations, carried out on the basis of credible intelligence and as part of an ongoing investigation, resulted in the detention of nearly 700 suspected OGWs for questioning and verification in accordance with established legal procedures,” it said.
Other districts also issued statements about detentions within hours of the Anantnag attack. Baramulla district police said it has detained 178 suspects and raids are still ongoing, while the number was 200 in Budgam and 100 in Ganderbal.
“The operation is part of the ongoing counter-terrorism and preventive security measures being undertaken to maintain peace and public order. The police remain committed to taking all necessary lawful measures to safeguard the district, and further action will be taken based on the outcome of the ongoing investigation and verification process,” said Budgam Police in a statement.
