Srinagar- The Centre on Friday informed Parliament that the Indian Army does not impede civilian movement on the National Highway, saying that the traffic regulation has been the responsibility of state authorities while the ambulances are being given priority by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
Member of Parliament from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi in a question had sought details about the frequent traffic stoppages on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for Army and paramilitary movements and also whether ambulances are also halted.
He had also sought details on actions taken to address this issue and prevent human rights violations. In a written reply, the Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth said that 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,” he said.
“Owing to security reasons and to thwart incidents like attack/ambush of convoy in 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,” he said.
“Indian Army does not harass or stop any civil movement on the National Highway. The charter of civilian traffic regulation is of the State authorities/Jammu and Kashmir Police. Ambulances are always accorded priority for movement and they are not stopped anywhere by Security Forces,” he said.
Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi criticized the government’s response to his questions about repeated stoppages of civilian traffic, including ambulances, on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway during paramilitary convoy movements.
Ruhullah sought answers from the Ministry of Defence regarding the disruption of traffic and its impact on civilians. His queries included whether civilian and ambulance traffic is halted during convoy movements, details of such incidents and steps proposed to prevent these interruptions.
Rejecting the response as “blatant lies,” Ruhullah took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his outrage.
“I asked the Government of India to stop the harassment of people and blockading of traffic, including ambulances, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway during security forces convoy movement. This is their response. Full of blatant lies,” he wrote on X.
The Defence Ministry justified the traffic regulation measures, citing security concerns and the need to prevent ambushes on convoys. It attributed civilian traffic control to the state authorities and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The MP further shared alleged video evidence in a thread to substantiate his allegations, showing instances where civilians, including ambulances, were halted for prolonged periods.
This recent controversy has again ignited debate on the longstanding debate over the balance between national security and the movement of civilians on The Srinagar Jammu highway.
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