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| JK Police more worried about Aug 14 than I-Day preparedness | | 'Centre wants no incident of Pak flag waving this time' | | Abdul Majid
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Aug 13: The J&K Police is on tenterhooks to foil any attempt of waving of Pakistan flag in the Valley on August 14 when the neighbouring country celebrates its I-Day.
More than preparedness for the smooth celebrations of the Independence Day on August 15, the police wants to ensure that no news is made on Pakistan's I-Day.
Highly placed sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs has categorically conveyed to the State Government that no "anti-national activity would be tolerated on the Indian soil this time" particularly when the country is going to celebrate its Independence Day.
But police is finding the law enforcement an uphill task as this year Pakistan's I-Day day falls on Friday, a day when waving of green and the ISIS flags turns into a weekly ritual in parts of Kashmir. Though 10,000 cops will be guarding the city alone till the Independence Day celebrations are over, police are keeping their fingers crossed.
Since PDP-BJP government took over on March 1, hardly a Friday has passed when Pakistani flags and ISIS flags were not waved in one or other part of the Valley. Police sources said over 30 such cases have been reported in the past six months, something that has embarrassed the State and Central Governments.
Sources said for the past around a week, at least three high level meetings were held the police and paramilitary CRPF were strictly ordered to ensure that no Pakistani flag is waved anywhere. "The concerned have been conveyed that heads would roll if there was any incident of waving of Pakistani flag this time," said a senior official in the administration, pleading anonymity. The official said the biggest concern in Srinagar was the volatile old Srinagar, particularly Jamia Masjid Nowhatta where this year rarely a Friday passed without waving of Pakistan flag. Elsewhere, he said, Anantnag, Sopore, Tral and Shopian were believed to be volatile areas. Also, militancy has been on a rise with the Valley witnessing a militant attack every third day. The number of recent encounters with militants and infiltration bids along LoC has raised concerns of the security establishment in J&K. This year, there have been 75 militancy-related operations and 11 failed infiltrations bids. This, as per intelligence operatives, puts question marks on the efficiency of state police. "In a major embarrassment for the state, the NIA didn't allow police to probe the attack on BSF convoy in Udhampur but took the case into its own hand," said a senior official.
Last month when National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Kashmir on July 21, he too had expressed concern over the waving of Pakistani and other anti-national flags and demanded arresting the trend.
Meanwhile, with the Independence Day being celebrated on Saturday, the state police has been on a high alert.
Apart from three attacks elsewhere in the Valley in last 24 hours, a grenade exploded outside a police station in Khanyar area of old Srinagar leaving four security personnel wounded. The Inspector General of Police Kashmir SJM Geelani is, however, hopeful that the Independence Day celebrations would pass off peacefully. |
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