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Headlines

Militants using clampdown to create fear in J&K: Army Chief

Chennai, Sep 23 

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said here on Monday that there was no clampdown in the Kashmir Valley and that the terrorists were using it as a facade to create fear among the people.

Rawat added that communication lines between terrorists and their handlers have been broken while there was ample connectivity amongst local people.

"If you look at the ground situation, the killings are down and the violence is down. Terrorists have been kept at bay. We will gradually start easing the pressures on the people. But let me tell you one thing, there is no clampdown on people," said General Rawat.

As per the Army Chief, trade and business were functioning in full swing in the valley, although local shopkeepers were yet to open their shutters.

"The brick kilns near Srinagar are operational. People are working in them. People are collecting sand on boats from the Jhelum river. In the orchards, apples are being collected in heaps, packed into boxes and loaded on trucks. Hundreds of trucks are moving out. Shops are, however, opening from behind while their front shutters are being kept closed. Planes are flying in and out of the airport. That means taxis are also plying in which people are reaching the airport. Clampdown is a facade used by terrorists to create a fear psychosis among people," he added.

Rawat further said that terrorists were misinterpreting the meaning of Islam in order to perpetuate and justify violence.

"I feel the interpretation of Islam by some elements who possibly want to create disruption is being fed to large number of people. I think we should also have preachers who convey the correct meaning of Islam," he added.