Working to improve security situation, overcome security lapses in J&K: Centre

Srinagar: Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir on Wednesday briefed the media about the security arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir post the Amarnath Yatra terror attack.

Addressing the media, Jitendra Singh congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the kind of resilience they have shown in the last 25 years.

"Anything that happens in Kashmir finds echo across the country. People of the Valley want the guilty to be punished. We are here on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express our solidarity. The common youth of Kashmir is keen to be a part of the development journey led by Prime Minister Modi," he added.

Singh said the militancy is going to outlive its life soon and that India is in the last phase of militancy.

Responding to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's assertion that "every Kashmiri is not a terrorist", Jitendra Singh said, "Yes, Home Minister Rajnath ji is absolutely right - every Kashmiri is not a terrorist."

"We should not look at this as a Kashmir vs rest of India issue. It's not the popular sentiment," he added.

Echoing similar sentiment, Hansraj Ahir said that even after the attack, Amarnath Yatris are unfazed and enthusiastic.

"The Government and state government are serious about the incidents that are happening. We met the Governor and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The Chief Minister has handled the situation well. All injured have been sent to their respective homes. We will review the security arrangement. We will overcome the security lapses," he added.

As many as seven people were killed and fifteen others injured after a group of terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar around 8:20 pm on Monday night.

Meanwhile, three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed by security forces near Budgam district in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday night.

Based on inputs of presence of some terrorists in a specific house, an operation was launched by troops of the Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Radbug village of Budgam.

The troops recovered one self-loading rifle along with three magazines and one pistol with one magazine.

Two terrorists have been identified as Javed, a resident of Churpur and Aabid, a resident of Badgam. The identity of the third one is yet to be ascertained.