1.8 Crore Tourists Came To Jammu And Kashmir, Normalcy Back: Amit Shah

As Kashmir valley sees a thriving tourist season this winter, Home Minister Amit Shah said he takes pride in highlighting that normalcy has returned in Jammu Kashmir, which is why tourists are visiting various places in the Union Territory. In 2022, some 1.80 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir.

"Tourists have broken all records in Jammu and Kashmir. Some 1.8 crore tourists came here in 2022. This shows people of the country believe that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is normal. I congratulate the security forces and agencies operating there," Mr Shah said at a conference of top police officers organised by the Intelligence Bureau.

The meeting was organised in hybrid mode, and some 600 officers of various levels attended virtually from the states and Union Territory.

Mr Shah highlighted that due to efforts made by security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir, terror incidents, number of deaths and area where terrorists used to be active have decreased.

"Today, we can say that Jammu and Kashmir is slowly moving towards a normal situation," he added.

Mr Shah said normalcy can be judged by the fact that children from all over India are going to Jammu and Kashmir to pursue studies. "There was  a time when children from Jammu and Kashmir used to go to study in other parts of the country, but today 32,000 children from other parts of the country are studying in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Mr Shah also praised the efforts of officials operating in the northeast. "We have removed AFSPA from about 30 per cent of areas in the northeast. Even violence levels in these areas have seen reduction of 42 per cent in the last three years," Mr Shah said.

Sources said that at the meeting today, most top police officials of the country discussed security challenges along the border with Nepal and Myanmar, strategies to identify overstaying foreigners in India and targeting of Maoist strongholds.

The three-day meeting will end on Sunday. It is being held in Delhi after a gap of eight years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the meeting in the next two days.