“Peace is Established, Not Bought”: In Landmark Interview, LG Sinha Outlines 5 Years of Transformation, Says Statehood Assurance Stands

In Sweeping Conversation, J&K’s LG Details Unprecedented Growth, Decimation of Terror Ecosystem, and Clear Constitutional Boundaries with Elected Govt; Vows Justice for Terror Victims

• Reflecting on five years in office, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha declared that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, peace in Jammu and Kashmir has been “established, not bought,” marked by the end of Pakistan-sponsored bandhs, a near-zero local terror recruitment, and the full establishment of the Indian state’s authority.
• Detailing the “Naya Kashmir” vision, LG Sinha highlighted unprecedented development, including a doubling of the economy, a tourism boom with 2.38 crore visitors last year, ₹1.5 lakh crore in infrastructure projects, and a successful shift from a “terror calendar” to an “academic calendar.”
• Addressing the political landscape, he reiterated the Union Home Minister’s assurance in Parliament that statehood will be restored at an “appropriate time” and firmly stated his own commitment to working within his constitutional limits alongside the elected government, declaring, “I know my limits and I will never work outside them.”

Jammu, July 16, 2025: On the cusp of completing five transformative years in office, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, in a landmark and comprehensive interview, articulated a powerful narrative of a region reborn. He detailed a seismic shift from an era of turmoil to an epoch of established peace, unprecedented development, and profound national integration. Speaking with the calm authority of a leader who has helmed the Union Territory through its most critical post-Article 370 transition, LG Sinha outlined his core governing philosophy, “Peace is Established, Not Bought,” and reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to restoring statehood at an appropriate time, all while vowing to deliver long-overdue justice to the forgotten victims of terrorism.

“On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was nullified. I arrived in August 2020,” LG Sinha began, setting the stage for his five-year report card. “Under the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister, it is true that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented change in the last five to six years. In every sector you mention, there has been unparalleled growth.” He painted a vivid picture of this “Naya Kashmir,” starting with its economic resurrection. “The economy here has doubled in about six years. The Jammu and Kashmir Bank, which used to be in losses of twelve to thirteen hundred crores, is now in profit of seventeen hundred crores,” he stated. He pointed to massive infrastructural development, with nearly ₹1.5 lakh crore in highway and tunnel projects underway, drastically cutting travel time between Jammu and Srinagar from over eight hours to just four and a half.

This development, he explained, extends to every facet of life. “We have received seven new medical colleges. In the power sector, where generation was 3450 megawatts, projects for over 3100 megawatts have been initiated in the last five years,” he detailed. Tourism has seen a “boom,” with a record 2.38 crore visitors last year, fuelling the local economy. Private investment, once a paltry ₹14,000 crore, has seen an influx of proposals, with investments worth ₹10,000 to ₹12,000 crore already realized and another ₹28,000 to ₹30,000 crore in various stages. Governance has been revolutionized, with 1140 services now online and land records digitized. The core vision, he summarized, has been “Peace, Prosperity, Progress, and People First.”

Addressing the security paradigm, LG Sinha was unequivocal. He credited the firm policy of the Union Home Minister for a major shift. “A key policy has been that we will not buy peace, we will establish it,” he declared. “The security forces; Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army, and the CAPF; have created a situation where there are no more bandhs or hartals at Pakistan’s behest. Late-night life is being enjoyed here. Stone-pelting has stopped. Local recruitment into terrorism has drastically come down. The top commanders of every terror outfit have been eliminated.” He acknowledged that this progress irks the “neighbour,” for whom terrorism is a “state policy,” but stressed the security forces’ vigilance. The most significant achievement, he noted, is the near-cessation of local recruitment. “Where a hundred, or even a hundred and fifty, local youths used to join militancy, this year there has been only one recruitment. This shows that due to progress, people’s faith has been restored. The people have become stakeholders in peace.”

On the recent “Operation Sindoor,” LG Sinha echoed the Prime Minister’s resolve, stating that terror and talks cannot go together and that any act of terror will be treated as an act of war. He delivered a stern message to Pakistan, “A clear message was delivered to Pakistan that whatever is in Pakistan is within our reach. That is why they were brought to their knees.”

In one of the most poignant parts of the conversation, the Lieutenant Governor spoke passionately about delivering justice to the victims of terrorism, a cause he has personally championed. Recounting a recent, deeply emotional event in Baramulla where he met with terror-victim families, he described their decades of neglect. “Their voices were never heard,” he said. Now, through a “whole government approach,” the administration is providing financial assistance, government jobs to eligible kin (40 appointment letters were given recently), registering long-pending FIRs, and helping them reclaim illegally occupied properties. “This is an effort to apply balm on their long-festering wounds, to give them justice, jobs, and respect.”

Addressing the critical political question of statehood, LG Sinha meticulously recounted the Union Home Minister’s assurance on the floor of Parliament. “He had outlined a sequence: Delimitation first, then Assembly elections, and the third step, he said, was ‘Statehood at an appropriate time’,” LG Sinha recalled. “Delimitation happened. Assembly elections have also been conducted peacefully with a high voter turnout. Now the third question remains… I believe that since it was said in Parliament, it is an assurance. It will definitely be fulfilled. We should all wait a little for when it will happen.”

Regarding the division of power with the elected government and his relationship with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, he was clear and constitutionally precise. “My relationship with him is fine,” he said, adding that the powers of the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister are “fully defined” in the State Reorganization Act. “If there is any confusion, it is being resolved through correspondence. I want to say one thing for sure: I know my limits, and I will never go beyond them to do any work.”

He also staunchly defended the administration’s actions under Article 311 against government employees with terror links, clarifying it is a constitutional provision, not targeted at any community, and is used only against those with a documented, active terror record. On the necessity of the Centre retaining control over law and order, he was pragmatic. “Jammu and Kashmir is a border state. Our neighbour is such that I need not say more. Therefore, it is necessary that the country’s Home Ministry oversees law and order.”

As he completes his five-year tenure on August 7th, LG Sinha expressed a sense of satisfaction. “I am satisfied that I have used my conscience, intelligence, and ability with honesty to work for the progress and peace of Jammu and Kashmir,” he concluded. “And I want to say one more thing: the authority of the Indian state is fully established in Jammu and Kashmir. And Jammu and Kashmir is fully integrated with India. I consider this a major achievement.”