Kashmir Civilian Killings: India Raises Concern Over Cross-Border Terrorism From Pakistan

As many as seven civilians have been killed by militants in Kashmir Valley in the last five days. Of the seven, four were from minority communities and six of the deaths were reported from Srinagar.

New Delhi: The civilian killings in J&K have spread a sense of fear among the minorities in the valley and many are said to have to leave their homes and move towards Jammu. Keeping in view the recent terrorist attacks in Kashmir,  Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation.

During the hour-long meeting, the home minister was given a presentation on the overall security situation in the Union Territory and the border areas by top officials.

He was briefed about the latest modus operandi of the terrorists in carrying out attacks on soft targets and the steps taken to tighten the security arrangements, an official said.

Shah is believed to have directed the officials to ensure that those involved in the killings are nabbed and to check the further occurrence of such incidents, reports PTI.

Later, Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvind Kumar held a separate meeting, which was also attended by top officials of Jammu and Kashmir.

Targetted killings raise concerns of cross border terrorism from Pakistan: India

Strongly condemning "targeted killings" of innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir, the external affairs ministry on Thursday said these incidents highlighted its concerns over cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.

"We strongly condemn it. Innocent people are being killed. It is targeted killing. We are worried about cross border terrorism from Pakistan," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing.

He said India keeps discussing the issue of cross-border terrorism with its partners and that the issue figures almost all its meetings with them.

A woman principal and a teacher were shot dead at point-blank range inside a government school in Srinagar on Thursday, taking the number of civilians killed by terrorists in the Kashmir valley to seven in the last five days.

Of the seven, four were from minority communities and six of the deaths were reported from Srinagar.

Supinder Kaur, the principal of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School at Eidgah in Srinagar, and Deepak Chand were gunned down at around 11.15 am on the school premises.

There were no students in the school.

Makhan Lal Bindroo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit and the owner of Srinagar's most famous pharmacy, was shot dead at his shop on Tuesday.

A "chaat" vendor, Virendra Paswan from Bihar, and another civilian, Mohammad Shafi Lone, were also killed on Tuesday in Srinagar and Bandipora respectively.

On Saturday, terrorists shot dead Majid Ahmad Gojri in Srinagar and Mohammad Shafi Dar at Batamaloo.

According to official statistics, a total of 28 civilians have so far been killed by terrorists in 2021.

Of the 28 civilians killed, five belonged to local Hindu or Sikh communities while two were non-local Hindu labourers.

Officials said due to the killings of a large number of terrorists of all outfits, especially their leadership, and the destruction of their support systems, the Pakistan-based handlers of the terrorists have got frustrated and changed their strategy. They have started targeting unarmed policemen, politicians and innocent civilians from minority communities, including women.

In all such cases, the terrorists used pistols, which they can carry easily, the officials said.

Most of these crimes are committed by newly-recruited terrorists or those who are about to join terrorist ranks, they added.

According to official data, 97 terror attacks have so far been reported in Jammu and Kashmir this year -- 71 on security forces and 26 on civilians.

In 2020, a total of 105 such attacks were reported -- 80 on security forces and 25 on civilians.