Militancy on decline in J&K, Centre must take advantage of it, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

The militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has come down in the past few years, and the time has come for the Centre to help the Union Territory in development activities, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Thursday. “There is poverty and unemployment, but it is also a reality that there is a huge difference in militancy… Sporadic incidents happen, but they happen across the country as well. Militancy has come down,” Azad told reporters after a public rally in this south Kashmir district. He said the central government should take advantage of the reduction in militancy in the Valley. “The time has come for the Centre to help the state a lot in terms of development, projects, roads, and setting up industries. The central government should take advantage of little or no militancy. If they do not do anything, then there is no benefit to ending militancy,” the former J and K chief minister said. Asked that there was talk of conferring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Nobel Peace prize, Azad said only those who give such awards know about it.