Facing criticism for closing down the national highway connecting Jammu with Srinagar for two days every week, the union home ministry Wednesday took refuge in statistics to claim the ban was for only 15 percent of total weekly hours.
Underlining that the ban became necessary in the backdrop ofthe Pulwama militant attack, the MHA issued a statement and said the step hasbeen taken for “ensuring safe movement of forces till May 31”.
The statement comes at a time when the ministry has to fileits reply to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court which has directed it to respondby April 19 to a bunch of petitions challenging the decision.
In its statement, the ministry gave statistics in its defence,stating the total duration of prohibition is for 24 hours out of 168 hours in aweek, which amounts to only 15 per cent of the time.
Terming it “deliberate and mischievous disinformation”campaign about traffic restrictions on the national highway connecting Jammuwith Kashmir Valley, the ministry said, “The state government has alreadyclarified in unambiguous terms, that out of seven days in a week, onlyreasonable restrictions have been imposed, that too for 12 hours, two days in aweek. This has been done to ensure safe movement of forces and at the same timeminimising the inconvenience to public”.
“While regulations for movement of civilian traffic werealready in place during convoy movement, the state government has now come outwith a planned movement of security forces on the national highway for a shortduration—up to May 31, 2019,” the ministry statement read.
The regulations have been imposed “just” for a total 15 dayskeeping in view the convoy efficiency and security of the personnel, “particularlyin the backdrop of Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019 and a similarunsuccessful attempt on March 31, 2019”, it stated.
The High Court had on Monday issued a notice to the unionministries of home and defence and the state government to furnish a reply byApril 19 to petitions challenging the traffic order as it was violation offundamental rights of the people.
Political parties held protests against the ban on April 7as well as Wednesday.
Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah has termed this orderas a reflection of a BJP-led mindset of turning Kashmir into a colony likeBritish-era.
The army has already stated that it is not going to followthe order of the state government as it will continue to run its convoys as perthe need, officials said.
Reacting to the assertions made by the ministry thatalternative routes like old national highway were available and that suchrestrictions were imposed from time to time in other parts of the country formovement of the convoys of security forces, former chief minister Omar Abdullahsaid the statement of the home ministry was full of lies.
“This press release sets a new record for the number ofuntruths told in the same statement. I don’t know where to start with the sheerlies being told by this unnamed ‘senior MHA official’ except to say there ishardly a word of truth in it,” Omar tweeted.
Later, he said, “I would really like to know when such anorder was issued in the past and which part of the country faces suchrestrictions on highway and how to connect with the old highway between Jammuand Srinagar?”
“Certain vested interests are raking up this issue withutter disregard to the precious lives of security personnel that could be lostin Pulwama-like attacks and are sensationalising the issue without anyconsideration for the national security,” the government statement read.
“These planned restrictions, which came into force fromApril 3, have by and large stabilised and are being properly implemented by thestate government without any inconvenience to the public at large,” it added.
Omar Abdullah again led a protest march on Wednesdaydemanding revocation of the order. “We have been continuously asking thegovernment to rethink on this order since the day this ‘Tughlaqi farmaan’ wasissued. There is no need for such a ban,” he told reporters.
According to Omar, the Army has said they did not demandthis ban.
“Former Army chief Gen V P Malik has termed this order a dumb idea. So, this small protest is to tell the government that please revoke this order and allow free movement of people on the highway,” he said.