The Government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in J&K announced in the beginning of Ramazan. — HMO India (@HMOIndia) 1529213836000

The Government commends the role of Security Forces for having implemented the decision in letter and spirit in the… https://t.co/MUMR9lXkAD — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 1529213708000

The Security Forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launchin… https://t.co/mfplKJBXJ2 — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 1529213710000

NEW DELHI: Ending the ambiguity on the fate of counter-terror operations in Jammu & Kashmir following the conclusion of the Ramzan truce period, the Centre on Sunday announced the resumption of intelligence-based cordon-and-search-operations and search-and-destroy-operations in the state to prevent terrorists from indulging in attacks.Union home minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter on Sunday morning to announce that the government of India had decided not to extend the suspension of operations in J&K. "The operations against the terrorists to resume. The government commends the security forces for having shown exemplary restraint during Ramzan despite grave provocations. Government (is) committed to working for creating an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu & Kashmir," he said in a series of tweets.The Centre, in a statement issued soon after, said the decision to halt offensive operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the month of Ramzan was taken in interests of the peace-loving people of J&K and provide them with a conducive atmosphere to observe fasting."Government commends the role of the security forces for having implemented the decision in letter and spirit in the face of grave provocation, to enable the Muslim brothers and sisters observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner," it stated. However, a home ministry official added, "the terrorists continued with the wanton killing of civilians and attacks on the security forces. Even the separatists failed to seize of the opportunity to reciprocate the initiative". The complete lack of reciprocity for the truce may play out negatively in BJP constituencies outside J&K and even in Jammu.Sources said while the total number of incidents were fewer and recruitment of locals into militancy declined during the Ramzan truce, there was a spike in grenade attacks and targetting of J&K police and Army personnel."The rise in violence graph in the concluding days of Ramzan, including the killing of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari and soldier Aurangzeb, vitiated the atmosphere on the eve of Eid. The need to ensure the security of yatris arriving for upcoming Amarnath pilgrimage amid the heightened terrorist activity made the government averse to the idea of extending the suspension of operations."Any attack on Amarnath yatra with a cessation of operations in place would have entailed a high political cost for the BJP. Also, sanitisation of the Amarnath route by carrying out targeted counter-terror operations against terrorists hiding in built up areas was seen as crucial to an incident-free pilgrimage," said a senior officer."Security Forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. Government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu & Kashmir. It is important that all sections of peace loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace," the government said on Sunday.A crackdown now that the security forces are no longer restrained by a suspension of operations is expected to assuage the negative sentiment within the Hindutva constituency that there had been a softening of BJP government's tough approach towards militancy in J&K. The decision comes against the backdrop of the PDP-BJP coalition in Jammu & Kashmir having virtually run its entire course. With the Lok Sabha polls nearing, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti cannot seek votes while in the company of BJP and still protect herself from the charge of a "sell-out" and ward off rival NC. The estimate here is that coming 3-4 months may see her shore up her hard-line credentials by striking discordant notes with BJP.The resumption of operations will help cushion BJP against any sudden, dramatic barbs by Mehbooba. Well-placed sources said the coming days in J&K may turn out to be "action-filled". The Centre, nevertheless, felt the peace initiative was worth it. The recent violent incidents in J&K seem to have also dimmed the chances of a dialogue with the Hurriyat.Read this story in Bengali