Let civilians be safe, Mufti urges Army

Srinagar:  Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday asked the Army and other security forces combating a nearly three-decade old militancy in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that no harm comes to unarmed civilians and other non-combatants during their counterinsurgency operations.

She also urged them to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) strictly to avoid collateral damage during such operations.

The chief minister while chairing a meeting of the Unified Headquarters comprising senior Army commanders and officers of various paramilitary forces, the police, intelligence agencies and civil administration said that the security agencies “should ensure safety and security of general public and their properties while dealing with security and law and order related incidents.”

This comes days after, at least, seven civilians were killed in security forces actions during cordon-and-search operations in Srinagar and southern Shopian district, triggering widespread protests and shutdowns across the Kashmir Valley and parts of Chenab valley of the State’s Jammu region.

An official spokesman here said that the chief minister who is head of the Unified Headquarters reviewed the overall security situation in the State and on the borders at its meeting. “The meeting took a detailed review of the security scenario in the State including the situation along the borders,” the spokesman added.

Deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta, was also present in the meeting.

The spokesman quoted Ms Mufti as saying at the meeting that the security and intelligence agencies should while dealing with challenging situations “synchronize their efforts and actions on the ground through strict adherence to prescribed SOPs” and “ensure safety  of general public while dealing with law and order”.

She also asked the security agencies to adopt a “calibrated response” to various situations during  Ramazan, Amarnath Yatra and tourist season.