New Delhi:
Around 70 terrorists and pro-Pakistani separatists from Kashmir have been shifted to Uttar Pradesh's Agra amid tensions in the Valley over Article 370 move, news agency ANI reported, citing sources. The terrorists and separatists were shifted to Agra in a special plane provided by the Indian Air Force.
The development has come amid the lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir after Centre's move to strip the state of its special status and bifurcation into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir with its own Legislative Assembly like Delhi and Ladakh with legislature like Chandigarh.
Following India's massive Kashmir move, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had warned New Delhi of more Pulwama like incidents minus Islamabad's involvement. A day after his warning, there were reports that Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Pakistan-based terrorist group, was planning to storm Mumbai.
Soon after Imran Khan's statement, Rauf Azghar, the younger brother of Jaish chief Maulana Masood Azahar, had reached Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after meetings in Rawalpindi.
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In anticipation of the big move, Kashmir was flooded with thousands of security troops and all the communication channels were severed in the Valley. With curfew like restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, all educational institutions were closed and people were asked not to come out of their houses.
Over 500 prominent political leaders and workers, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been detained in Jammu and Kashmir since the scrapping of Kashmir special status.
So far, over 50 Kashmiris have reportedly been arrested while one teenager was killed due to drowning in the river after being chased by security forces. Amid escalating tensions and security threats near the international border, the Centre on Thursday banned large gatherings in Ladakh's Kargil, Dras and Sankoo regions.
