Srinagar, March 5 : The General officer Commanding of Army’s Srinagar based sensitive 15 Corps Lt Gen Pandey on Saturday said that militant recruitment has come down and the ”white collar terrorists” were now trying to woo very young boys to take arms. “Recruitment has come down and it is very important for us. Now the ‘white collar terrorists’ are not able to recruit youth between the age group of 20-25 and now they are eyeing on 16 to 17-year-old kids who have no world view and are vulrenable,” Lt Gen Pandey said on the sidelines of a function in Gulmarg. He said it was the responsibility of the whole society and the family to ensure that the children don’t fall into the wrong path. The Corps Commander said all the security parameters were at their best in Kashmir. “The situation in the Kashmir Valley had improved. A record number of tourists came here last year. There has been a reduction in stone-pelting, protests or bandhs. Terrorist recruitment has come down…,” he said. Earlier Lt Gen Pandey, while speaking at the “Amrit Joyti Gulmarg Winter Festival”, complimented the youth for participating in large numbers in the Gulmarg Fest. He exhorted the youth to imbibe discipline, hard work, a healthy lifestyle and imbibe strong focus in life, to achieve eminence in any field they choose to pursue. He urged the youth to have an inquisitive mind and invest themselves in quality education. He further said that Kashmir is blessed with abundance of art, culture and music, which ensures joy and happiness in the hearts of every citizen. GOC Chinar Corps stated that Indian Army is taking proactive steps to assist the local youth in becoming progressive global citizens and urged them to help the Government establish India including Kashmir at the pinnacle that it deserves. A Srinagar-based defence spokesman said Indian Army, in collaboration with Gulmarg Development Authority, J&K Tourism and the Gulmarg Hotel Association, is conducting the “Amrit Joyti Gulmarg Winter Festival – 2022” from March 4-6. This year’s Festival is aligned with ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations that commemorates 75 Years of the Nation’s Independence. This festival is a mega event encompassing a wide range of activities, which showcase various facets of Gulmarg as a premier tourist destination and also bring to fore the immense creative potential of the Kashmiri youth. MJR GK