Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti during the Unified Headquarters meeting in Jammu. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 16

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today chaired a meeting of the Unified Headquarters (UHQ) to discuss and review the security situation in the state.The Chief Minister exhorted that a “humane” approach can yield better results in winning over the youth and widening the peace constituency. The Army said they were of the same view and that their restraint and humane approach was unmatched.The Army said it would not allow any let up in its anti-terror operations in the state as eliminating terrorism was their prime task and it maintained that it had “suffered casualties because of its restrained approach.”It said the elimination of terrorists becomes necessary when they refused to surrender. The instances when militants were given option to surrender were cited at the meeting, including the one in case of hardcore Lashkar militant Dujana in south Kashmir. It maintained that its role here was to protect the people and that’s why there was a fight against terrorists.Sources present at the meet said the Army was candid in telling that it respected human rights and had exercised maximum restraint at times against provocation by militants and stone-throwers. “One has to be in our situation to feel and understand that how much restraint is exercised by soldiers when bullets and stones are targeted at us,” a source told The Tribune.Instances were cited when soldiers were killed and wounded and people helped in enabling terrorists in escaping, it was the restraint of the Army that averted a bad situation.Mehbooba said the need of the hour was to engage meaningfully with the people, particularly youth, so that they were able to contribute to society and its welfare. She stressed on increased community policing activities and enhanced outreach by the administration.The meeting discussed the overall security scenario in the state and also discussed security for the upcoming panchayat elections. Security agencies had assured the CM that tight security would be provided for the panchayat elections, said sources.The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary BB Vyas, GoC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen Devraj Anbu, Principal Secretary, Home, RK Goyal, GoC of 9 Corps Lt Gen YVK Menon, GoC of 14 Corps Lt Gen SK Upadhaya, GoC of 15 Corps Lt Gen JS Sandhu, GoC of 16 Corps Lt Gen Saranjeet Singh, Director General of Police SP Vaid, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rohit Kansal, ADGP AG Mir and Muneer Ahmad Khan, ADGP, CRPF, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan and other senior officers.