‘Majid Dar’s expulsion a welcome step for J&K’

Jammu and Kashmir has a hot summer ahead: Crucial Assembly elections are scheduled for September, infiltration and threats to political workers have increased even as the brutal fidayeen attacks on security forces have dipped. But J&K’s Director General of Police Ashok Kumar Suri appears confident enough that his force will ensure a peaceful election: The police and security forces will get the militants before they get us, he told NAZIR MASOODI.

Will the rift within the Hizbul Mujahideen have any impact on the ground?

The Hizbul Mujahideen has been quiet for some time now. There were grenade blasts on a couple of occasions but these were ‘friendly explosions’ — they caused no damage. The recent rift may lead to more such attacks as the outfit will try to prove its representativeness.

What do you make of the expulsion of Abdul Majid Dar and two other Hizbul commanders?

It has been our contention from the day Dar declared a ceasefire that he would, sooner or later, come overground. Dar never backtracked from the ceasefire which was later called off by the Hizbul leadership across the border. We consider his expulsion a welcome step for the entire state.

There have been no major fidayeen attacks for the past few months and the intensity of violence appears to have decreased in Kashmir. Do you see a change in militant strategy?

Militants lose their men in fidayeen attacks, they suffer heavy casualties. We successfully foiled most of these attacks and killed fidayeens before they could sneak into security installations. Such missions actually prove counter-productive for militants. But they haven’t stopped targeting security forces and mainstream political workers.

How are the police and security forces gearing up to counter threats by militant groups to disrupt the Assembly elections?

We are alive to the situation. We will ensure free and fair elections and nobody will be allowed to disrupt them. We will finish the militants before they even try to act. Adequate security deployment will ensure peaceful polling in the state.

Some separatist leaders who have shown their inclination to participate in the elections are facing militant threats. Will you provide them security? Has any of them approached the police for security?

Any separatist leader who is willing to participate in the elections is welcome. As for as the threat to the life of a person is concerned, this is being determined by our ‘Threat Assessment Committee’, which recommends security measures for individuals and institutions. The committee revives security as per the situation and recommends an increase or decrease in security cover.

Now that spring is here, has infiltration resumed?

Militants continue to come in and with the onset of spring, infiltration has slightly increased. I cannot say exactly how many militants have succeeded to infiltrate.

How many militants are there in J&K today?

An estimated 3,000-3,500 militants are operating in Jammu and Kashmir.

Has the ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba affected their activities?

There is no change at all. The groups also continue to receive support from Pakistan even after that country imposed a ban on them.