SRINAGAR, July 21: Dropping a bombshell, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today said Basaran was opened just three days before the Pahalgam attack, and the private operator had not obtained permission.
“It was opened for tourists only three days ago. The gentleman who was running it is a private operator. He had given an application to JKTDC. He had also deposited some money. But he did not get permission. It had been raining there for three days. Some people were going there for three days before,” LG Sinha told ABP News in an interview.
.LG Sinha said Pakistan-backed terrorists had done a recce beforehand. “Facts have now come out after the investigation. The way they targeted innocent civilians dealt a deep blow to the soul of India. It is indeed a regrettable incident. But there is a silver lining to it. After that incident, the common Kashmiri or the common man of Jammu and Kashmir stood up against Pakistan and terrorism. I think I have never seen this in 5 years. I have talked to many people who have known Jammu and Kashmir for 40-50 years. They also said that they have never seen such a scene. So I think that Jammu and Kashmir police, army, or CAPF security forces were doing their job,” he said.
LG Sinha also announced the reopening of the terror cases, including massacres, which were closed in the last 35 years.
“We will also reopen the terror cases, including massacres. We will investigate them and punish the culprits,” he said.
LG Sinha said there was an ecosystem that talked more about Pakistan than the people here. “It talked more about the supporters of terrorism. I say the same thing that in the last 5 years, under the leadership of the Prime Minister and Home Minister, this entire ecosystem has been hit hard,” he said.
LG Sinha said terrorism is taking its last breath. “If you look at other parameters, I think that the scenario will look different. Whether it is about civilian killings, killings of security forces, strikes, the parameters are such that you will be satisfied. And another thing is that the local (terror) recruitment used to be 50 to 200. Last year it was six. This year, July is about to end, and only one recruitment has taken place… Pakistan is pushing terrorists… Operation Sindoor has taught a big lesson. I think that wisdom should prevail because the way the Prime Minister said that we will consider any terror incident as an act of war,” he said.
On offering healing touch to terror victims, LG narrated a heart-wrenching story of a girl whose SPO father was gunned down, and her mother was begging to raise the kids. “She told me that her mother raised her and her younger sister by begging. For 10 years, even their relatives and society did not enquire about them. Then this thing came to my attention. Then we came here and held a meeting with senior officials of the administration. We made some decisions: One was to give jobs to those who are entitled to them. We also decided to give financial help,” he said.