NEW DELHI, July 20: Not a single Kashmiri Pandit has left the Kashmir valley ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said that as many as 118 civilians, including five Kashmiri Pandits and 16 other Hindus and Sikhs, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370.
No Kashmiri Pandit has reportedly migrated from the valley since August 2019, he said in a written reply to a question.
Rai said 5,502 Kashmiri Pandits have been provided Government jobs in different departments of Government of J&K in the valley.
The Minister said there has been substantial decline in terrorist attacks in last three years – from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021.
“From August 5, 2019 till July 9, 2022, 128 security force personnel and 118 civilians were killed by terrorists in J&K. Out of 118 civilians killed, 5 were Kashmiri Pandits and 16 belonged to other Hindu and Sikh communities,” he said.
Rai said no pilgrim has been killed during this period.
He said the Government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and the security situation has improved significantly in J&K .
He said jobs to the Kashmiri Pandits were given under the Prime Minister’s Development Package.
The Article 370, which gave special status to J&K , was abrogated on August 5, 2019 and the State was bifurcated into two Union territories – J&K and Ladakh. (PTI)
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