It is no longer 'glamorous' to become terrorist in J&K: L-G

Srinagar: Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is on the cusp of a transition as it has lost the "glamour" that was once associated with it, Army commander Lt Gen D P Pandey has said, adding "white collar terrorists" are now desperately trying to lure into their ranks adolescents who may not yet have the maturity to judge right from wrong.

Lt Gen Pandey, the General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Kashmir-based XV Corps, said those aged between 20 and 25 have understood that "violence leads to nowhere" and thus the number of new terror recruits is nearing an all-time low. In addition, 330 terrorists were killed or surrendered since January last

year, he said.

People in general are fed up with terrorism, the Army commander said and expressed hope that the day is not far when the remaining support to terrorists in Kashmir Valley will vanish as well.

He said the society has started developing some allergy towards the idea of terrorism and it is no longer glamorous to become

a terrorist.

"Terrorism is on the cusp of a transition and the day is not far when the remaining support for terrorism in the valley will also

vanish," he said.

"Security forces have been working on a two-pronged strategy -- bringing down the recruitment of local youths and ensuring depletion in terrorist cadres. We have been able to bring down the local recruitment by one-third during 2021," Lt Gen Pandey told in an interview.

Sharing data of counter-terrorist operations, he said 330 terrorists have been killed or surrendered since January last year -- the highest in a decade-and-

a-half.