Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that the Ladakh standoff between India and China created a security vacuum, which militants exploited in Jammu.
Speaking to the press after visiting the families of four police personnel killed in separate incidents in Jammu, Reasi, and Kathua districts, Abdullah highlighted the repercussions of troop redeployment on security in the region.
Four police personnel were martyred in an encounter with terrorists at Ghati in the Rajbagh area of Kathua district on Thursday. Security forces neutralised two foreign militants in the exchange of fire.
Abdullah observed that encounters and terror attacks in Jammu were not new and had been occurring for the past three to four years. Citing past incidents, he recalled an attack on a passenger bus ferrying pilgrims in Reasi district last year.
Also read: CM Omar, LG Sinha honour cops killed in Kathua encounter
“There were attacks in Jammu city. The reason behind this is that when the Chinese army made an incursion into Ladakh, we needed an army to counter them,” Abdullah said. “We could not remove the army from the Valley, and so the troops stationed in Jammu were sent to Ladakh. As a result, there was a shortage somewhere. Now, that shortage is being slowly overcome,” he added.
He stressed the need to prevent such incidents and curb militancy effectively. “We should try not to have such incidents,” he said, adding, “We have to control militancy in such a way that the martyrdom of people is stopped forever.”
“We have just left a house where there is mourning. I have been to four places today. I have to express my condolences to each family member. We have to take some more steps to improve the security situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, the Chief Minister wrote: “Visited the families of our bravehearts — Balvinder Singh, Tariq Ahmad, Jaswant Singh and Jagbir Singh — who laid down their lives in the line of duty during the Kathua encounter. Their sacrifice is etched in our hearts forever. We stand with their families in this hour of grief.”
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