Terrorists under pressure, carrying out targeted killings in J&K: Jitendra

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said terrorists are carrying out targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir owing to the tremendous pressure put on them by security forces.

He claimed that such targeted killings take place whenever there is a change.

He said that such incidents, though unfortunate, may happen anywhere and may affect people belonging to any religion or ideology.

In an interview to PTI Bhasha, he said such "soft or targeted killings" are also an indication that the terrorists are on the run as there is a lot of pressure on them.

Today markets no longer remain closed, nor there is any stone pelting or shortage of food for children. "Today terrorists are on the run and there is a lot of pressure on them from the security forces," he said.

Referring to the current situation in Kashmir, Singh said, "It reflects that people coming back to the mainstream. When people start returning to the mainstream, such incidents take place from time to time."

The MP from Udhampur said people have started to understand that the Kashmir Valley suffered due to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.

"Kashmiri Pandit community, who are victims of targeted killings, never said they will not return or cannot return (to the Valley). They only said that best facilities should be given to them," said Singh, who is also Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.

In the aftermath of targeted killings by terrorists, several Kashmiri Pandits employed in the Valley under a special government project moved back to Jammu last year and demanded their relocation.

Earlier, the government had informed Parliament that as many as 118 civilians, including five Kashmiri Pandits and 16 other Hindus and Sikhs, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 till July 2022.

In response to a question on when the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held, Singh said it will not be right for him to say anything on the subject. "When the election will be held, in how many phases, in how much time...this is under the Election Commission's purview," he said.

He said that as far as his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is concerned, it is prepared for elections, be it municipal elections, state elections or Lok Sabha elections.