Kathua (J&K): Claiming that the overall situation in the Valley had improved perceptibly, a Jammu and Kashmir minister today said isolated incidents could not be cited to suggest that the condition was alarming across the state.
"The situation has improved over the years in J&K; if you see an incident in a particular area, it does not mean that the situation is bad all over Kashmir," minister of State for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo told reporters on the sidelines of a passing out parade of J&K police here.
The minister said that although the state has been grappling with militancy for 22 years now, the situation has of late been steadily improving.
He was responding to questions over recent incidents of militancy in north and south Kashmir.
An assistant sub-inspector was on May 10 shot dead by unidentified militants in Pulwama town, 32-km from Srinagar.
But allaying any concerns, the minister said that Army jawans were on constant alert to face any challenges to the security in the Valley.
"The flow of tourists (has kept) increasing. Even in winter, when Afzal Guru was hanged, there was no decline in the number of tourists coming to the Valley," Kichloo said.
He added that the government was taking several steps to facilitate tourism in the Valley by organising festivals and paying special attention to the several pilgrimages held in the state like Amarnath Yatra, Vaishno Devi Yatra, etc.
PTI
