New Delhi: Instrumental in turning the tide of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in mid-1990s, surrendered ultras in the state are a "demoralised" force today, with many of them going underground fearing elimination at the hands of ISI-backed jehadi outfits after slaying of top counter-insurgent leader Kuka Parrey early in September.

The counter-insurgents, whose remaining commander Liaqat Ali alias Hilal Hyder also tops the target list of jehadi outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashker-e-Taiba, are sore at the alleged "apathy" of the Central government.

"Targeting of leaders like Kuka Parrey and Javed Shah reflects failure of the government to provide them adequate security to protect them," Liaqat Ali, who heads J&K Ikhwan counter-insurgent group, told reporters.

"Unless the government takes immediate remedial measures, a message will go down the line that India is unable to protect pro-peace and nationalist people having witnessed the fate of Parrey and Shah," he said.

Parrey, who headed Ikhwan-ul Muslimeen militant outfit till 1994, turned hostile to Islamabad and along with about a thousand other surrendered militants started targeting pro-Pakistan ultras.

Subsequently, the ranks of the counter-insurgents swelled reaching the highest level of about 3,500 men and they played a key role in ensuring conduct of Parliamentary and Assembly polls in the state in 1996, seven years after militancy erupted there.

PTI