Centre moves 10K more troops to J&K

Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard near Nunwan Pahalgam base camp, 110 kilometres southeast of Srinagar on July 26, during a pilgrimage to the Hindu holy cave of Amarnath. Pic/AFP

New Delhi: The countdown for the removal of the controversial Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir has started. Two days after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval returned from a visit to the Valley, the Centre has decided to move 10,000 additional paramilitary troops there to address the likely fallout of the move on the ground, sources said.

During his three-day tour, Doval had held detailed discussions with senior officers of the state administration, police, paramilitary forces, army, state and Central intelligence agencies, they said.

"An elaborate contingency plan has been worked out to take care of even the minutest details. How the law and order situation would behave, the response of the overground and underground separatist cadres and also the response of the mainstream political leadership.

"It is clear that nothing is being left to chance. The orders seem to be clear, violence and attempts to disrupt peace by anti-national elements, in the garb of a public outcry to oppose the abrogation of Article 35A, has to be contained and controlled so that the common man is put to least inconvenience.

"The entire operation to deal with the law and order fallout in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 35A has even been code-named," these sources said.

'J&K problem can't be solved by military means'
Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: "Centre's decision to deploy additional 10,000 troops in the Valley has created a fear psychosis among people. Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem, which won't be solved by military means."

Jaish Pak chief eliminated: Police

Pakistani terrorist Munna Lahori of the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), who specialised in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs), is among the two militants killed in the Shopian gunfight on Saturday, police said. "The slain Jaish commander was responsible for a car bombing on security force convoy on March 30 in Banihal and another fatal army vehicle blast in Arihal in Pulwama on June 17," the police said. Arms and ammunition were recovered from him.

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