Srinagar Jan 21 PTI Top civil and security grid officials here Friday reviewed the security situation in Kashmir and vowed to keep up the efforts to maintain peace in the valleyCore Group consisting of top officials of Civil Administration Intelligence Agencies and Security Forces in JK met today at Badami Bagh Cantonment to review the security situation in Kashmir a defence spokesman said hereThe spokesman said the meeting was co-chaired by the General Officer Commanding Chinar Corps Lt Gen DP Pandey and Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag SinghThe core group reviewed the intelligence inputs and security parameters of 2021 Year 2021 witnessed a reduction in terrorist infiltration reduced terrorist incidents reduced terror recruitment increased operations based on HUMINT reduced collateral damage no civil casualties in law and order situation reduced SF casualties increased arrest of terrorists and booking of OGWs all pointing to effective conduct of joint operations and activities by intelligence and security agencies the spokesman saidHe said there has been increased neutralisation of Pakistani terrorists in last few weeks The effort of the frontline soldiers and operatives of all agencies were acknowledged by all present he addedThe core group discussed fresh strategies of the terrorist organizations and their handlers including use of Hybrid terrorists and targeting of soft targets 15 terrorists killed in 2021 were fresh names not on the security forces radar the spokesman saidHe said the setting up of SIA and the increased booking by NIA is showing impact of focused intelligence and investigation effortsThese efforts have been effective in targeting drug hawala and the OGWs Over ground workers networks Legal action on those willfully harbouring terrorists is being increased as the harbourers have direct involvement in terror activities he addedThe officials stated that the ceasefire has improved the security situation along the border however intelligence inputs of terrorist launch pads and terrorist training activities in Pakistan indicate the need to be alert along the Line of Control the spokesman saidOn the Line of Control late snow has kept the infiltration routes open for longer time but effective domination has ensured decrease in overall infiltration including those from South of Pir Panjal he said The vigil on the LoC against infiltration of men drugs and weapons is continuingThe officials shared the challenge of propaganda of the nexus through internet and social mediaSadly these efforts include propaganda to legitimise killing of Kashmiri civilians by the terrorists The use of social media to spread disinformation is widespread and needs to be countered proactively by a joint effort Efforts at synergy in exposing fake news booking of radicals trying to foment unrest and proactive sharing of information by state agencies are being upgraded the spokesman addedThe DGP and the Corps Commander commended the officials present on improved security indicatorsThey appreciated that post the abrogation of Article 370 certain benchmarks were set which have been achieved successfully for the restoration of peace and prosperity in the region the spokesman saidThe DGP said that reduction in local terrorist recruitment is one parameter that all must approach with continued focusThe Corps Commander called upon all to treat 2022 as a transformative year where the common man used to zero civilian casualties in 2021 should see 2022 as the year when things turned for good for the long term PTI MIJ TIR TIR

Srinagar Oct 22 PTI Various businesses dealing in home delivery of products and services have alleged the police drive to seize two-wheelers in Kashmir over the past three days has severely affected their operations The residents of the city have alleged that the middle class lower-middle class and students have been badly affected by the police drive and many have decided to keep their two-wheelers parked at their homesOur operations continue to be at halt due to incessant seizing of our delivery bikes in the city tweeted Samiullah the co-founder of Fastbeetle -- a startup which deals in the last mile delivery of productsIn a series of tweets he said just when the businesses in Kashmir were trying to recover from the losses caused in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 and the COVID-19 pandemic the law and order management was crushing the business communityMore than 500 delivery executives are making their livelihoods from delivery jobs in Kashmir where would they go now he askedThe company through its Twitter handle on Thursday urged cooperation of its patronsAmid this grim situation were trying our best to deliver our services howsoever possible But our operations have affected badly due to the continuous seizing of two wheelers Weve been with you always trying amid this situation too but we need ur support Please be cooperative it saidSamiullah said such situations put a question mark on the very efforts of the government to attract foreign investmentI wonder how on one hand the foreign investing parties are invited day in and day out to plan the possibilities in Kashmir and the local startups are pulled down with these unnecessary maintenance activities on the other hand he addedMohammad Aslam who is into courier business said the parcels purchased online by residents of Srinagar are piling up in godowns as delivery executives are not able to move around freelyIf the situation continues like this for few days more big e-commerce companies will stop taking online orders from the affected pin codes he addedThe police have said the drive was part of route anti-militancy operations but did not comment on the large scale seizures of these vehicles in the citySome social media users linked the police action to the likely visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to the valley this weekendHowever police denied any such linkSeizing some bikes and shutting down of internet of some towers is purely related to terror violences It has nothing to do with visit of the Honble HM IGP Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar tweeted on ThursdayThe internet services on a dozen towers -- mostly in the areas where non-local labourers were killed in the past week -- were snapped three days ago while police have started stringent checking of documents of two-wheelers plying on the roadsHowever many riders have alleged their two-wheelers were seized by police without even checking the documents and were asked to collect their vehicles after October 26 PTI MIJ TIR TIR

Srinagar Aug 31 PTI Research scholars at National Institute of Technology NIT Srinagar Tuesday held a peaceful protest outside the campus at Hazratbal here demanding the release of their fellowshipIt has been more than four months now that our fellowship amount has not been released We raised the issue with the Director NIT Srinagar and have also written to the ministry concerned but there has been no response so far a research scholar told PTIHe said some of the scholars stay in rented accommodation outside the campus and were facing the possibility of eviction as they have not been able to pay the rentWe appeal to the authorities to disburse the pending fellowship at the earliest while devising a framework to release it on time This will allow scholars to focus on their primary task of research another scholar said PTI MIJ TIR TIR

Srinagar Aug 24 PTIAn encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Sopore area of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir early Tuesday police said Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Pethseer in Sopore area late Monday night following information about the presence of militants there a police official said He said the search operation turned into an encounter in the early hours of Tuesday as the ultras opened fire on the security forces positionsThere were no reports of any casualties so far on either side PTI MIJ TIR TIR