Srinagar: Militant launch pads in Pakistan-administraed-Kashmir “are full”, but the Pakistan army’s attempts to infiltrate militants under the cover of ceasefire violations are being responded to in a “hard and punishing” manner, a senior army commander said here.

Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, who has been heading the strategic command of the Kashmir-based XV corps, is confident that Pakistan would not succeed in its attempts to push terrorists in the Valley and disturb the prevailing peace.

He said peace in the Kashmir Valley has been “cemented by security forces in coordination with various stakeholders including opinion-makers and mentors of the civil society”.

Lt Gen Dhillon, who will soon leave for a posting in the army headquarters in Delhi, joined the strategic command in February last year.

His tenure began on a challenging note as within a week of him taking over, the nation witnessed a gruesome militant attack on its security forces in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed when a suicide bomber targeted their convoy in Pulwama on February 14.

Not yet settled properly in his new role, Lt Gen Dhillon of the Rajputana Rifles, began coordinating operations against the perpetrators of the ghastly attack as also monitoring developments along the Line of Control where situation was getting tense by the day.

In a written reply to a question, Lt Gen Dhillon talked about the history of Pakistan’s proxy war and said the neighbouring country has been consistently aiding and abetting infiltration in India for more than 30 years now.

“All the militant camps and launch pads in Pakistan-administrated Kashmir are full. These militant cadres are desperate to infiltrate with the help of Pakistan army, who indulge in firing at our posts.

“Our befitting response to ceasefire violations has been swift, hard and punishing,” Lt Gen Dhillon said.

He said the Army’s main task is to keep terrorism at bay, both at the LoC and in the hinterland in “conjunction with Jammu and Kashmir police, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies.”

While maintaining an effective domination along the LoC, he said, conducting effective anti-terror operations “in a people-friendly manner” in the inner areas has improved the situation in the Valley.

He said local business, tourism and education sectors are likely to benefit immensely from the “operational successes, the improving security situation and various government initiatives”.

On the number of terrorists operating in the Valley, Lt Gen Dhillon said, “We work on concepts and not numbers. And the concept is the constant attempts by Pakistan to infiltrate terrorists and war-like stores, to commit sensational militant activities.”

London: The Indian High Commission in London confirmed on Tuesday that British lawmaker Debbie Abrahams, who was denied entry to India and deported to Dubai on Monday, did not hold a valid visa.

Abrahams, who is an Opposition Labour Party MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir, claimed she was travelling on a valid e-visa to India to visit family and friends but her visa was revoked without explanation.

She questioned why her visa was suddenly revoked and also the possibility of a visa on arrival, something India does not offer.

“Mission has confirmed from the Indian immigration authorities that Ms Debbie Abrahams did not hold a valid visa, the Indian High Commission said in a statement on Twitter.

“Further, there is no provision for visa on arrival for UK nationals. She was accordingly requested to return,” the statement noted.

Abrahams, who has been a vocal critic of the Indian government’s abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, posted what looks like an e-visa document on Twitter to show that she had a visa issued on October 7 last year, which was valid until October 5, 2020.

“Once again the key questions are why was it revoked and when, the Labour Party MP questioned.

“Again, for clarity, I am PRO human rights and social justice. I will always speak up for people who are not afforded these rights including Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control, she added, as part of an ongoing social media row over the issue.

In an account of her experience at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, Abrahams said she had presented herself at the immigration desk along with her documents and e-visa.

“…the official looked at his screen and started shaking his head. Then he told me my visa was rejected took my passport and disappeared for about 10 minutes.

“When he came back he was very rude and aggressive shouting at me to come with me’. I told him not to speak to me like that and was then taken to a cordoned off area marked as a Deportee Cell. He then ordered me to sit down and I refused. I didn’t know what they might do or where else they may take me, so I wanted people to see me,” she said.

The official then reportedly called her sister-in-law’s cousin, Kai, who she was meant to be staying with in Delhi. Kai got in touch with the British High Commission in New Delhi in an effort to try and find out what was going on but they allege that there has been no clarification from the Indian side over the issue.

The UK Foreign Office said she had been offered consular assistance and have been in contact with the Indian authorities to determine the circumstances of her entry being denied.

“We are in contact with the Indian authorities, and the Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth has spoken with the Indian High Commissioner to establish why the individual concerned was denied entry to India,” said a spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Abrahams was among a group of MPs who had issued formal letters following the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, which removed the special status of the region, in August last year.

“We are gravely concerned at the announcement by Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, has been removed by Presidential Order,” the Opposition MP noted in her letter to the UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, at the time.

Srinagar:  BJP led Central Government is mulling to go tough with corrupt politicians and bureaucrats and, for the purpose, has decided to depute special officers from New Delhi in the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to take up the cases and investigate them.

“Process to identify officers in the senior ranks of CBI, ED and Delhi Police for posting in Jammu and Kashmir has begun. The officers who have handled high profile corruption and related cases at various levels will be picked up from the three wings and deputed to Jammu and Kashmir to assist local officials in speedy investigations of the cases.”

Sources said that Central Government is also planning to strengthen the Jammu and Kashmir wings of CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Anti-Corruption Bureau with deployment of more officers and officials as their strength has been quite low. According to them, the top brass of CBI, ED from New Delhi will also coordinate with their offices in Jammu Kashmir regularly.

“A proposal has also been mooted for regular training of the officers/officials of anti-corruption agencies posted in Jammu and Kashmir in the Union Capital to continuously update them about the Central laws which were now applicable in J&K after it was converted into a Union Territory,” sources said.

New Delhi: Iltija Mufti, daughter of detained former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, on Tuesday said she is not yet ready to join politics.

Speaking at the Indian Women’s Press Corps here, Iltija said she doesn’t think she will be a good politician. She said her mother wants to keep a check on what she speaks.

“I am not ready for politics,” she said. “I don’t think I will be a good politician.”

Hitting out at the Centre for banning social media in Kashmir, she said it is “absurd” that Kashmiris are not allowed to access social media.

The J&K government has banned all social media sites in Kashmir to “curb their misuse for propagating rumours and false information”.

On Monday, the J&K police said it has registered an FIR against social media users who defied government orders and misused social media platforms.

“I will go to Kashmir and use VPN, let them slap an FIR on me,” she asserted.

She said former Chief Ministers, her mother and Omar Abdullah, acted as a buffer in Kashmir which the government has removed by abrogating Article 370.

She dared Home Minister Amit Shah to go to Kashmir.

“People are angry, if Home Minister Amit Shah walks on the streets in Kashmir, I will salute him,” Iltija said.

She said Kashmiris should sue the Modi government. She said her faith in the Indian judicial system has been shaken and she said she could even approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

“I think the government should be sued, when British left India, they bled us dry. We should demand compensation. We have lost Rs 18,000 crore,” she said. “Don’t mind approaching the international court. If we can’t rely on Indian courts where can we go?”

Iltija questioned the BJP and said if the party feels her mother is anti national why did they enter into an alliance with her party in 2014.

“Was the BJP sleeping?” she asked. “Was it in coma?” She said the BJP had struck an alliance with the PDP and said that it will not touch Article 370.

She said people in Jammu are also unhappy with the abrogation of Article 370 and claimed that if elections are held in Jammu right now the BJP would be wiped out.

She said that her loyalty is with the country and not with the BJP. “If speaking against the BJP makes me anti-national, I don’t mind being called one,” she said.

Iltija asked that “if Kashmir has gravitated towards Pakistan in the past seven months, then who is to be blamed?”