SRINAGAR: With the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit wiped off the face of Kashmir, justice has been done to the sacrifice of the 40 CRPF jawans who were killed in a fidayeen attack in Pulwama’s Lethpora area on February 14 last year, J&K special DG (CRPF) Zulfikar Hassan said on Friday.

Hassan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a wreath-laying ceremony at CRPF Battalion headquarters in Lethpora to commemorate the first year of the martyrs’ sacrifice. As per official figures, 36 JeM terrorists — including all nine commanders of the outfit — involved in the terror strike have been killed. “We killed all the Jaish men involved in the attack. Today, the outfit stands decimated. Justice stands done,” Hassan said, adding that the entire force stands with the families of the “fallen heroes”.

Professor Umesh Gopinath Jadhav — who travelled 61,000km across India to collect soil from outside the homes of the Pulwama martyrs as a tribute to their memory — was the special guest at the wreath-laying ceremony. “Today, I presented the urn containing soil from the residences of the 40 brave hearts to the special DGP (CRPF) and requested him to add it to the memorial constructed in honour of the slain soldiers. This little contribution makes me proud,” said Jadhav, who runs an NGO in Maharastra.

On February 14, 2019, JeM suicide bomber Adil Dar rammed his explosive-laden car into a CRPF convoy at Lethpora area. At least 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives in the attack while several others were injured. “Today, not just JeM, but all other terror outfits are on the back foot,” the special DGP said. Responding to a query about the compensation provided to the families of the slain soldiers, he said the force has a structured system and the concerns of the families of the martyrs are being taken care of.

Only 6 terrorists remain active in Pulwama’s Tral, officials say

Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district , which was considered to be a hotbed of terrorism in the Valley till 2017, now remains with only six odd active terrorists belonging to four different outfits, officials said on Friday.

Once home to top commanders of terror outfits like Burhan Wani, Zakir Moosa and Hamad Khan, Tral was a concern for security agencies given the 30 active terrorists operating in the area. These terrorists mostly belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen , Lashkar-e-Taiba , Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, said a senior police officer. The killing of Qari Yasir, Hamad Khan and Hameed Lelhari in anti-insurgency operations has halted the recruitment process in Tral. “There has been a considerable decline in the local terrorist recruitment process over the past year,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, three overground workers associated with different proscribed outfits were arrested from Srinagar’s Magarmal Bagh on Friday and a grenade recovered from them. The trio, identified as Irfan Ahmad Khan, Mudabir Aijaz and Wahid Ashraf Rather, is being questioned, said a police officer.

