Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Monday that 80 per cent of the remaining militants in Jammu and Kashmir are foreigners, mostly of Pakistani origin.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, the army chief said that the region is witnessing a shift from terrorism to tourism,” marked by a constant decline in terror-related violence.
He highlighted the successful and incident-free Amarnath Yatra in 2024 as one of the parameters for normalcy and said the region welcomed “over 5 lakh pilgrims last year.”
He went on to say that “last year around 60 per cent of the militants killed in the region were of Pakistani origin.”
“As of today, around 80 per cent or more of the remaining militants in the Valley and Jammu area are believed to be of Pakistani origin,” he said.
He added that despite the effective ceasefire agreement in place along the Line of Control (LoC) since February 2021, infiltration attempts and terror infrastructure persist.
Meanwhile, he also acknowledged increased terrorist activities in north Kashmir and the Doda-Kishtwar belt but noted that overall violence levels remain under control.
“The peaceful conduct of the Amarnath Yatra, which saw over five lakh pilgrims last year, and elections in the region indicate a positive shift from ‘terrorism to tourism,” he told reporters here.
Highlighting the importance of media in national security, Dwivedi said, “Mass media and security forces have great potential to converge towards nation-building and national security.”
Although the Jammu witnessed an increase in the terror-related violence in 2024. The Kashmir valley remained largely peaceful till September 2024.
Although there were several attacks reported in the valley post-formation of the newly elected government, the situation on the ground has considerably improved over the past 5-6 years.
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