New Delhi, March 21

A total of 88 Kashmiri youths joined militancy in 2016, the highest in the last six years, the Centre has said, adding that infiltration almost tripled last year as compared to 2015.It, however, said the situation in J&K had “improved to a large extent” in the current year. In written replies to two separate questions in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir shared data about Kashmiri youths taking up arms, infiltration attempts and law and order situation in the Valley.The data shows a steady increase in the number of youths taking up arms in the Valley from 2014 onwards as compared to the period between 2010 and 2013.According to the data, 88 Kashmiri youths joined militancy in 2016, which is the highest in the last six years.In 2010, 54 youths joined militancy, in 2011 the number came down to 23. It further dipped to 21 in 2012 and 16 in 2013, it said. In 2014, the number shot to 53, and in 2015, it reached 66 before touching the highest mark in six years (88) in 2016, the data said.“The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been affected by terrorism, sponsored and supported from across the border. The levels of terrorist violence in the hinterland of J&Kare linked to infiltration from across the border,” Ahir said.The data on infiltration shows that about 121 terrorists had sneaked into the country in 2012, highest in six years, followed by 119 in 2016.“The counter-terrorism efforts saw the best figures in 2010, when 81 per cent of the infiltration attempts were thwarted by the security forces, with only 95 terrorists entering the country as against 489 attempts,” the data said.In 2011, 52 terrorists had crossed over against 247 infiltration attempts, while in 2013, 97 ultras managed to sneak in against 277 attempts, it said. — PTI

Laying focus on violence-prone areas’

• “Barring some violence-prone pockets, the situation is at present normal. Efforts are afoot to bring the situation under control in these vulnerable pockets,” said Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir in the Lok Sabha