Srinagar, Oct 18 (IANS): Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday met the family members of victims of terrorism from across different regions of the Kashmir Valley, an official said.

"The family members whose loved ones were brutally killed by various terrorist groups in the past narrated the horrific incidents and sought the intervention of Lt Governor for resolution of their long pending issues," the statement said.

Paying homage to the martyred civilians, the Lt Governor assured every necessary support and assistance to the families who despite suffering immense personal loss, hardships and pain, were excluded from the mainstream development for several decades.

“Instead of compassion and support, the terrorism-affected families were marginalised, and their voices went unheard. I will try my best to ensure justice, welfare and rehabilitation of these families,” the Lt Governor said.

The Lt Governor said the security forces and J&K Police are determined to dismantle the terror ecosystem.

"Our security forces and J&K police are committed to completely neutralising terror groups and terror ecosystems sponsored by the neighbouring country. At the same time, we will ensure that families targeted by terrorists and who were left behind are provided with all the assistance, and support and their rights are protected, he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism along with other security forces.

Many police personnel have been killed in action and many others have been injured in the three-decade-long fight against terrorists.

With terrorism spreading to areas that were regarded "terrorism-free", the challenges for the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police have grown manifold.

But battling terrorism is not the only challenge, the police have to combat the growing incidents of crime.

At a crime and security review meeting on October 5, IGP Kashmir V.K. Birdi appreciated the efforts of the district chiefs in preventing crime and emphasized the need for improving the quality of investigation.

He also underscored the need to improve the conviction rates by way of establishing a robust follow-up system for securing convictions in narco and terror-related cases.