CRPF’s Kashmir chief asks local militants to surrender

SRINAGAR: The security forces are ready to deal with any militant attack, including suicide strikes, in the Kashmir valley, a top CRPF officer said today while appealing to the local militants to surrender and join the mainstream.
"Militant attack, 'fidayeen' (suicide) attack can take place anytime and we are completely ready for that. If they (militants) carry out 'fidayeen' attacks, they would be dealt with accordingly," Inspector General of CRPF, Zulfiquar Hassan, told reporters in south Kashmir s Pulwama district.
He said some militants belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit have infiltrated into the Valley and expressed hope that they would soon be neutralised.
"Some people of Jaish-e-Mohammad had infiltrated and many of them have been killed and I hope that rest of them, who have survived (so far), would soon fall in the dragnet of the police, CRPF and (Army s) RR (Rashtriya Rifles)," Hassan said.
He said the security forces are taking measures to tackle the recruitment of local youth into militancy.
"There has been some recruitment about which we have information. Many things are being done to tackle it (recruitment). You have seen Jammu and Kashmir Police, and we also have appealed to those youth, who have joined militancy or gone with militants, to not join them and instead join the mainstream and surrender," he said.
We will do whatever we can for them after they surrender, he added.
He said the militants were carrying out attacks on political activists because they were threatened by the increase in political activities in Kashmir.
"As we all have seen that political activity is picking up and many political leaders are visiting. Feeling threatened (by political activities), a few political leaders have been attacked and killed (by militants)," he said.
We are alert in this regard and are trying that more and more security remains in place, so that political activity keeps going and common man remains safe, Hassan said.