We are winning against Pak at international level: Ahir

Union Minister Hansraj Ahir today said the government respected the sentiments of the countrymen about the Uri terror attack in which 18 jawans died, but the war with Pakistan "can be won without an actual confrontation".
"Battle can be won without waging a war with Pakistan and that is precisely what is being achieved by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the Minister of State for Home Affairs said here.
"We are marching towards victory at international level and also have made a reasonable progress in gaining the confidence of locals in Kashmir, though it appears to be a slow process," said Ahir, speaking at the Press Club here.

There is a need to create income sources for the youth in Kashmir as a part of confidence-building process which the government is doing, he said.
"The government has spent as much as Rs 80,000 crore for various development works in Kashmir so far, and the youth have now started to join the mainstream after realising this. Our priority is development and that is the only thing which can bring job opportunities along with economic prosperity in the country. The terrorists and the separatists would lose their voice as development takes place in the area," he said.
Ahir, a four-time BJP MP from Chandrapur, also claimed that Naxal activities were "on decline" and as many as 400 police stations in the Naxal-affected areas have been upgraded with ultramodern gadgets and facilities.

"In the North-East, the government is taking steps to relax the height criterion so that the youth from that region could join the security forces, because the average height in the region is below the national average," he said.