Srinagar, Feb 07: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday said that Post 2019, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed improvement in security situation and centre will continue a zero tolerance policy against terrorism in the region.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha regarding prevailing security situation in J&K, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai said that security situation has shown a significant improvement post 2019.
He mentioned that the number of terrorist-initiated incidents showed a decline over the years. In 2019, there were 153 incidents, which decreased to 126 in 2020, 129 in 2021, and 125 in 2022. Notably, in 2023, only 46 such incidents were reported.
Likewise, there were 102 encounters and counter-terror operations in 2019, followed by 118 in 2020, 100 in 2021, and 117 in 2022. In 2023, there were 48 reported incidents in J&K.
Regarding civilian casualties in terrorist-related incidents, the figures indicate 44 in 2019, 38 in 2020, 41 in 2021, and 31 in 2022. In 2023, the number significantly dropped to only 14 civilians killed in such incidents.
The data also revealed a decrease in the loss of lives among security personnel. In 2019, 80 security personnel were killed, followed by 63 in 2020, 42 in 2021, 32 in 2022, and a further decline to 30 in 2023.
In terms of counter-terrorism efforts, the reply highlights that 157 terrorists were killed in 2019, 221 in 2020, 180 in 2021, 187 in 2022, and 73 in 2023. These statistics provide an overview of the evolving situation in the region, reply added.
The Minister also said that no terrorist incident was reported in UT of Ladakh from 2019 to 2023.
