The government has brought peace and development to Jammu and Kashmir, and ensured that all institutions such as schools and colleges, hospitals and businesses carry on with their normal routine 365 days a year, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said ahead of August 5, marking five years of the end of the special status of the erstwhile state of J&K and its subsequent division into two Union Territories. In an hour-long interview to The Indian Express (detailed transcript to be published tomorrow), Sinha, who took charge of J&K four years ago in August 2020, said: “There should be no doubt about elections. The Prime Minister recently said that Assembly elections would be held at the earliest.” Asked if an elected government would be able to function smoothly with most powers including law and order vested with the L-G, Sinha said: “I will work to achieve a fine balance with the elected government and ensure smooth functioning. Is peace and development not the objective of all? Doesn’t everyone want this? If this is the objective, then where is the possibility of a clash?” The Lieutenant Governor said that the policy of zero tolerance to terror has ensured that the Valley is peaceful. “You can see it in Srinagar… There are people enjoying the night ambience in Lal Chowk, Polo View and the Jhelum river front. There is a presence of security forces, but compared with the past it's much less,” he said. Sinha said Pakistan couldn’t digest the message India sent to the world when it organised global events like the G20 tourist working group meeting in Srinagar, the peaceful conduct of Lok Sabha elections, and the state of normalcy in the Valley. “The terror incidents that Jammu has seen in the last couple of months are regrettable, but they are signs of desperation by the neighbour and definitely by design,” he said. While it is true there has been infiltration from across the borders into the Jammu division, there is very low recruitment in the Valley. “If you look at overall numbers such as killings of civilians, or that of security personnel, there has been a sharp drop. In Kashmir division particularly, almost all top militant commanders have been eliminated by the security forces. Recruitment (of local militants) is also at its lowest levels. This is the biggest achievement,” he said. As far as the increased number of terror incidents in Jammu is concerned, he said it has been decided at the highest level to move additional paramilitary, police and Army personnel at appropriate positions to tackle the situation there. “We have a strategy in place and I am confident we will eliminate the terrorists and the terror ecosystem just like we did in the Valley,” Sinha said. He said the general elections which witnessed a record voter turnout of 58.46 per cent showed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have faith in democracy. “They have come out of the sloganeering mindset and believe in jamhooriyat,” Sinha said.
