New Delhi: Stressing that life has returned to normalcy after three decades of turmoil, democratically-made constitutional changes through major steps taken to strengthen grassroots democracy have helped the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir metamorphose from a trouble- prone area.
The earlier practice of daily hartals, strikes, stone pelting and bandhs are things of the past now. For the first time in its history, a duly elected three-tier panchayati raj system has been established in Jammu and Kashmir.
Elections for the members of the District Development Councils were held in Jammu and Kashmir in November-December 2020.
It is submitted that since 2019, the entire region has witnessed an unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity.
The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court — opposing petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir – that since 2019, the entire region has witnessed an unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity, and the “organised stone pelting incidences connected with terrorism-separatist agenda, which were as high as 1,767 in 2018 has come down to zero in 2023 till date”.
In a counter affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs submitted that the street violence, engineered and orchestrated by terrorists and secessionist networks has now become a thing of the past.
“The organised stone pelting incidences connected with terrorism-separatist agenda, which were as high as 1,767 in 2018 has come down to zero in 2023 till date. In 2018, there were 52 incidences of organised bandh/hartal, which has come down to zero in 2023 till date. In addition, resolute anti-terror actions have resulted in dismantling of the terror ecosystem which is reflected in a significant drop in terrorist recruitment from 199 in 2018 to 12 in 2023 till date,” said the affidavit.
The Centre stressed that it has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and after constitutional changes, the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly.
The affidavit added that terrorist-initiated instances have been brought down by 45.2 per cent – from 228 in 2018 to 125 in 2022 – and net infiltration has reduced by 90.2 per cent, and also law and order events have come down significantly by 97.2 per cent – 1,767 in 2018 to 50 in 2022, and also security forces’ casualties have come down from 91 in 2018 to 31 in 2022.
