J&K has turned from 'terrorist hotspot' to 'tourist hotspot': MHA on the transformation in recent years

The security forces fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir are now completely under control as the region has changed from a "terrorist hotspot" to a "tourism hotspot," the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said citing remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2022.

According to the MHA's annual review for the year, Home Minister Shah recognized the security services' contributions to maintaining peace and order and preventing violence on the streets of Jammu and Kashmir. The review, released in Tuesday, also highlights a notable decrease in terror attacks and the number of casualties sustained by government troops in the area.

The ministry quoted the Home Minister explaining the importance of abrogating Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir - "Earlier the explanation of Jamhooriyat in Kashmir was only 3 families, 87 MLAs and 6 MPs but Shri Modi has connected 30,000 people with Jamhooriyat by taking democracy to the village Panch, Sarpanch, BDC and Zilla Panchayat."

"Earlier due to Article 370, Gurjar-Bakarwal and Paharis could not get the benefit of reservation in education, elections and jobs, but now after the removal of Article 370, they will all get reservation," Amit Shah added.

The MHA review noted that more than 22 lakh visitors traveled to the Union Territory (UT) in 2022, far more than in any prior year, and the number of terror events in J&K declined from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021, with the number of security personnel killed decreasing from 91 in 2018 to 42 in 2021.

The ministry said that the increase in tourists has helped thousands of young people find work, and the stone-pelting incidents have also decreased.

The annual review also said that Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah officially opened and laid the foundation stone for 240 development projects costing around Rs 2,000 crores in Srinagar on December 5, 2022. Additionally, 63 hydroelectricity projects totaling Rs 80,000 crore have been finished under the PM's Development Package for Jammu and Kashmir.