‘J&K on path of peace, stability’: Amit Shah praises security agencies
NEW DELHI: In the inaugural session of the three-day All-India Conference of director generals of police (DGPs) and inspector generals of police (IGPs) being held at the National Agricultural Science Complex in Pusa here, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that terror incidents, deaths and terrorist-dominated areas in Jammu and Kashmir have diminished drastically, and the UT is heading towards peace and stability. Praising the efforts of the J&K Police, paramilitary, and intelligence agencies, Shah said their efforts are bearing fruits and the total number of tourists last year stood at 1.80 crore. “Earlier, there was a time when children from J&K used to leave their homeland to pursue studies. But today, 32,000 children from other parts of the country are studying in J&K which has enhanced the trust of the people there and also that of the nation. Similarly, the investments coming in the last four years are more than what had come in the last 70 years,” Shah said. The meeting was organised in a hybrid mode, and some 600 officers of various levels attended virtually from the states and Union Territories. “Earlier, problems were geographical… but now they are thematic like cyber security and data security. The problems also have become multidimensional as narco terror and fourth-generation war have chipped in,” he said. Shah also praised the intelligence security agencies and said they have succeeded in establishing their supremacy and no one can ignore the country any more in any field nor stop any one from moving forward. “We have to remember that the entire world has now accepted the fact that India can no longer be tied back. In a recent report, Morgan Stanley has said that by 2027, we will become the world’s third largest economy. I am not saying this on the basis of the survey alone but on the basis of our track record. In 2014 our economy was 11th in the world… But within the period starting from 2014 to January 2023, we have jumped from 11th to 5th position,” he said. Appreciating the efforts of the security agencies, Shah said, “In internal security, we, by and large, have been successful in maintaining peace in the country despite many odds. Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and Left wing extremism-affected areas were the three hotspots, and under PM’s leadership, now the situation has drastically improved. This shows that we are on the right track and our goal lies at the end of our path.” Shah said in the Northeast, nine different types of groups have surrendered and signed peace accords and have returned to the mainstream. “More than 9,000 insurgents… have handed over weapons to authorities. Three border disputes among the states in the region have been resolved and I can claim with immense faith that when we will sit together in the next year, the remaining four disputes will also stand resolved,” he said. “We have attained massive success in taming left wing terror. In 2010, there were 96 terror-affected districts and now there are only 46. In Left wing extremism-affected regions also, violence witnessed 40-60 per cent decline,” Shah said. Shah also distributed police medals for meritorious service and gave trophies to the top three police stations of the country.