Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 15: Expressing serious concern over security of Defence Forces personnel from Kashmir and their families residing in Valley, Public Opinion Forum Jammu, a think tank of Jammu based intellectuals, has suggested creation of a separate and secure family accommodation enclave in Valley for these personnel.
While paying rich tributes to martyr Lt Umar Fayaz, who was killed by terrorists when he had gone to his home in Valley for attending a marriage function, the Forum said that the shocking incident has evoked a deep concern for the security of 29 Officers and over 15,000 JCOs and Other Ranks, serving in the armed forces and much more serving in the Paramilitary and Security Forces who are not safe when they go on leave to their home in the Valley.
Their families are also not safe in Kashmir valley. Therefore a separate and secure family accommodation enclave needs to be created in the Valley where families of serving security forces personnel can live safely otherwise nobody would risk his life and lives of his family members by joining security forces, least the Army, the Forum members said during a meeting, held here today under the chairmanship of Parveen Sharma for analyzing the latest developments in the Kashmir valley.
During all these years of militancy such indiscriminate killing of an innocent security personnel who happen to come on leave, had never happened because of which craze for joining security forces had never diminished. But killing of Lt Fayaz is a warning from the militants to the aspiring young men to be ready to meet the same fate if they join Indian forces, the Forum opined and calling for strong political will of the State and Central Government with matching ground actions by the security forces.
Calling martyr Lt Fayaz a hero and ‘Indian Icon’ for the Indian youth, the POF Jammu said that by attaining martyrdom at the hands of brutal Pak paid goons, Fayaz has earned for himself and his feared society a place of honour by rekindling a hope of their resolve to restore normalcy in the troubled Valley.
The meeting was attended by renowned columnist Col J P Singh, Gopal Parthasarthi, Ravi Kumar, Sanjeev Sharma and others.