On December 19, 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). His first evaluation after the recent assembly elections in the Union territory, which took place in September and October of 2024, made this gathering noteworthy. Key players including J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, senior Army, paramilitary, and intelligence officers, as well as Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) members, attended the conference.
The evaluation follows increased security worries after five Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in Kulgam earlier that day. One of the people killed was Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a well-known commander who had participated in a number of terror-related acts in the area.
Shah talked about a 2025 security roadmap during the conference, which aims to handle the continuous, infrequent terror occurrences and enhance J&K’s general safety. Since Article 370 was repealed in August 2019, there has been a notable decrease in violence related to terrorism, according to official statistics provided during the review. For example, 896 terror events were registered after the abrogation, compared to 1,458 prior. Additionally, within the same time span, the number of local terrorists murdered rose from 420 to 517.
Shah emphasized a strong anti-terrorist stance, comparing terrorists to “plain criminals” and emphasizing that their acts would not be rewarded with martyrdom or special status. This is part of a larger plan to address terrorism in J&K in a manner akin to that of criminal activity in other regions of India.
