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| Security forces against, elements in Home Ministry for | | Ceasefire or no ceasefire | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 15: The much-talked about meeting called by Union home minister Rajnath Singh to review security for the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra and the pros and cons of the unilateral ceasefire during the holy month of Ramzan move was held on Thursday. Officials from central and state governments, security agencies and paramilitary forces participated in the meeting.
By 7 p.m., few media houses indicated that a decision not to extend the unilateral ceasefire after June 16 had been taken during the meeting, but with a rider that further details were awaited. The home Ministry, however, didn't make any statement to the effect whether a decision to extend or to extend the unilateral ceasefire had been taken or not taken.
However, things became clearer a few hours later. It was given to understand that there was difference of opinion between the elements in the Home Ministry and those representing security forces in the meeting. A report to this effect said: "The fate of the Centre's one-month-old policy of suspension of operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir hangs in the balance, with a few security agencies flagging its disadvantages, including regrouping of militants, and some within the Home Ministry being in favour of extending it with a rider that intelligence-based operations should be increased".
The report further in unambiguous terms said that "the security agencies highlighted that during the halt to operations in the holy month of Ramzan, militants have been able to regroup, move more freely and convince youngsters to join them".
"Policy makers in the Home Ministry, however, are still debating on the gains and losses of the move and advocated extending it with a rider that army and security personnel should be allowed to carry out intelligence-based operations more frequently even if it was in civilian areas, they said. The officials said a need for carrying out sanitisation of the route to Amarnath Yatra was discussed so that the security forces gain an upper hand during the two-month long pilgrimage beginning 28 June," the report further said.
Kashmir has, it needs to be underlined, witnessed the killing of over 55 militants including at least 27 locals till date in 2018. The situation in Kashmir is considered to be volatile and turbulent. It has witnessed almost 80 incidents of violence between February and June with civilians often seen coming out to encounter sites to stage protests with the intention of giving the militants an opportunity to escape.
This is the situation. The Home Ministry should have gone by the inputs given by the security agencies and clinched the issue on Thursday itself. But it didn't happen. One has to wait for at least 24 hours to know what exactly is in the mind of Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In the meantime, however, reports from New Delhi suggested that the Home Minister is all set to meet PM Narendra Modi to discuss the whole ceasefire issue. But one thing is clear: Decision has to be taken at the earliest as ceasefire time end on June 16 midnight. |
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