Army does not stop civilian movement on Srinagar NH: Defence Ministry in LS
The Army does not harass or stop any civilian movement on the Srinagar- Jammu National Highway and the ambulances “are always accorded priority” for movement and they are not stopped anywhere by security forces, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.
It was responding to the questions asked by Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi about stopping of normal traffic during the movement of Army or paramilitary on the highway.
Mehdi had asked whether it was a fact “that the traffic on the highway is stopped multiple times at multiple places at every few kilometres for the Army or paramilitary movement on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.”
He has also sought answers if not only normal traffic but also the ambulances are also stopped by the security forces and “steps taken/proposed to be taken by the government to stop this humiliating practice which also violates human rights.”
The Ministry, in its written response in Lok Sabha on Friday said “as part of drill,” regular movement of convoys takes place between Jammu and Srinagar for various operational as well as administrative reasons.
“The Indian Army follows detailed procedures for the movement of convoys with due emphasis on friendly move of the populace,” the Ministry said.
It also said owing to security reasons and to thwart incidents “like attack/ambush of a convoy in the past, road opening parties are sent out prior to the movement of any security forces convoy.”
“Traffic is regulated, temporarily, particularly at points where laterals meet the NH-44 and at U-Turns, during the movement of the Army/CAPF convoys,” the Ministry said.
Stating that “Indian Army does not harass or stop any civil movement on the national highway,” the ministry response further said, the “charter of civilian traffic regulation is of the state authorities/Jammu and Kashmir Police.”
After the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019, locals in south Kashmir have been claiming that security forces stop the vehicles moving on the national highway whenever a convoy passes through the highway.
After the response by the Ministry in the Parliament, Srinagar MP said the response was “full of blatant lies.”
“I asked GoI to stop the harassment of people and blockading of traffic including ambulances on Srinagar-Jammu national highway during security forces convoy movement. This is their response. Full of blatant lies,” he wrote on X late Friday night.
