Kashmiri Pandit staffers should stay put in valley: BJP

SRINAGAR:  Opposing the demand of the employees belonging to the Kashmiri Pandit and minority communities that they be posted in Jammu after the targeted killings in the Valley, the BJP has asserted that they should be posted in secure areas within Kashmir itself. J&K BJP leader and former J&K deputy chief minister, Kavinder Gupta, told this newspaper that the party does not favour relocation of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

He said they should be transferred to secure locations in the district headquarters, where their safety should be ensured. “The motive of the militants is to trigger migration of the minority community from Kashmir. BJP does not want this motive of militants to succeed. We favour that the minority community employees serving in the Valley should stay put and not move to Jammu,” Gupta said.

About 5,500 Kashmir Pandit employees recruited under PM’s job package and about 2,000 minority community members from Jammu are serving in the Valley. Gripped by fear after the killing of five non-Muslims by militants, they are now demanding relocation to safer areas outside Kashmir. About 70 % of them have already left for Jammu.

Ranjan, a Kashmiri Pandit employee serving in Anantnag, opposed BJP’s stand, saying there is no logic in it. “Rahul Bhat was killed despite having a highly secured office,” he said, adding that nobody can work in an environment of fear. “The government should transfer us to Jammu for at least two years and once the situation improves, we will return,” Ranjan added, asking the government to come up with a blueprint about creation of safe zones. “Where will they keep the 4,500 Pandits? We don’t want to be caged.”

Cops recover IEDs dropped by drone   

Srinagar: The police on Tuesday foiled a bid to smuggle explosives into Jammu and Kashmir by recovering three magnetic Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) dropped by a Pakistani drone in the border area of Kanachak in Jammu. The recovery comes 10 days after the police shot down a Pakistani drone and recovered magnetic bombs. Jammu ADGP, Mukesh Singh, said the BSF observed a drone activity in Kanachak. “The anti-drone SOP was put in practice,” he said, adding that later, they observed the drone again at Dayaran area of Kanachak. They fired at it, but while the drone could not be shot down, the payload was recovered. It contained three magnetic IEDs packed inside a tiffin box with a timer set to different timings.