NEW DELHI: India said on Sunday it is resuming military operations againstrebels in occupied Kashmir after a rare 30-day suspension for Ramazanexpired, with a top minister blaming militant attacks.

Army operations were halted on May 16 at the start of Ramazan, despite amonths-long escalation of violence in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.

Troops would stop the pursuit of ‘militants’ and door-to-door housesearches but would still retaliate if attacked, officials said at the time.

“While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during thisperiod, the terrorists have continued with their attacks, on civilians andSFs [security forces], resulting in deaths and injuries,” Home MinisterRajnath Singh said on Twitter.

“The security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions asearlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging inviolence,” he added.

“The government of India decides not to extend the suspension ofoperations” in held Kashmir, Singh’s office said in a separate statement onTwitter.

“The operations against terrorists to resume,” it added.

The Modi government’s suspension had failed to halt the mounting death tollin occupied Kashmir.

A youth died after being hit by a paramilitary vehicle during ademonstration. A number of ‘militants’ and at least five Indian soldiers orpolice were also killed in clashes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a cabinet meeting on Thursday to discusswhether to extend the initiative, amid a heated debate on the move. It wasthe first time in almost two decades that Indian authorities had suspendedmilitary operations against ‘militants’.

The killing of the abducted soldier and the shooting last week of a leadingKashmir journalist, Shujaat Bukhari, put pressure on the government toresume operations.

The home minister said the suspension had been ordered “in the interests ofthe peace-loving people” of Kashmir “to provide them a conductiveatmosphere to observe Ramazan”.