Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha on Thursday pledged to root out terrorism from the Union Territory (U.T.) and asked locals to stop sheltering terrorists, as he toured once a separatist hub, Sopore, in north Kashmir.
“Locals from Sopore and entire J&K should not give any sort of shelter to terror supporters and terrorists. Do this bit, our police and security forces with full support of the administration will ensure terror and its eco-system is wiped out from the soil of J&K,” Mr. Sinha, while speaking in Sopore, said.
Sopore witnessed a major armed rebellion in the 1990s. It was also the hometown of former Hurriyat chairman and Jamaat-e-Islami member Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Pledging to root out terrorism and take strict action against the “conflict profiteers”, Mr. Sinha said, “Sopore was called Kandahar. Who gave this title? It was a famous business hub till 1970. Those responsible for this did great injustice with the people of Sopore and the future generations.”
Quoting popular poet Mehjoor on communal harmony, Mr. Sinha said, “Mr. Mehjoor said ‘if Muslims are milk, Hindus are Sugar’. Sopore was known for communal harmony. We will ensure peace returns to this place soon.”
He said every single resident of J&K was a VIP for the L-G administration. “There is no discrimination,” he added.
