A majority of the Indians believe that their government should use more military force in dealing with the law and order situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The latest survey by PEW Center says that a majority ofIndians (55 percent) see the situation in Kashmir as a very big problem.
“More than half (53 percent) say circumstances in Kashmirhave gotten worse over the last five years, and a majority (58 percent)believes the Indian government should use more military force than it usescurrently in dealing with tensions in the area,” the PEW report has said.
PEW which provides information on social issues, publicopinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world hassaid that Indians largely view Pakistan as a threat and believe the situationin Kashmir warrants more military force.
“In the Center’s spring survey last year, 76 percent ofIndians said Pakistan is a major threat to their country, including 63 percentwho said it is a very serious threat. This view was shared by people in ruralareas and urban centers, supporters of both the prime minister’s BJP and theCongress party, as well as Indians across age groups. Additionally, 65 percentsaid terrorism is a very big problem in India,” the report said.
It also said that the recent escalation in tensions betweenIndia and Pakistan after the Pulwama attack has turned the long-runningterritorial dispute over Kashmir into a potent campaign issue for Modi.
The report said that in the aftermath of the violence inPulwama, Indian social media platforms saw such an uptick in fictitious or purposelymisleading stories related to the attack that the head of Facebook India’sIntegrity Initiatives tweeted that he had “never seen anything like thisbefore.”