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Kashmir: Ready to talk to all sections, says PM

	June 22, 2009

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the Centre is ready to enter into a dialogue with all groups, including those outside the political mainstream, to bring peace and stability to Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to media-persons who accompanied him on his recent trip to Russia, he said: “We are willing to engage in a dialogue with whoever shuns the gun culture and violence.”



Describing as very unfortunate the recent alleged rape and murder of two women in south Kashmir, Dr. Manmohan Singh noted that Home Minister Chidambaram had visited the state earlier this month and made some important announcements. He said: ‘‘If there are any violations of human rights, we will take effective action.”



Dr. Singh said his government is committed to zero tolerance against rights violations.



The Prime Minister said he had told State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that once the new Government had settled down at the Centre, it would look into the problems of the state and work out programme for its speedy development. He said: “We will be happy to engage in dialogue with any group which is interested in talking and willing to engage with us, even those groups which are not in the political mainstream.’’



Dr. Manmohan Singh recalled that he had invited the Hurriyat Conference in the past as well when he was told that its leadership would come with some proposals on Kashmir. He said: “They never came, I am not complaining.”





Hurriyat wants CBMs before dialogue



The Hurriyat Conference has said that confidence building measures (CBMs) should be taken before a comprehensive dialogue to ensure everlasting peace. A spokesman of the Hurriyat Conference said this while reacting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement about having a dialogue with any group in Jammu and Kashmir.



The Hurriyat Conference had earlier proposed five-point CBMs for resolving the Kashmir issue. Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had threatened to launch a mass agitation in case concrete measures were not taken by the UPA government by July 13.



The five-point formula of the Mirwaiz includes the withdrawal of special powers to security forces and the reduction of troops in the state.



No US mediation on Kashmir : Obama



President Barack Obama has ruled out any US mediation on the Kashmir issue. In an interview with Pakistan’s Dawn TV, he said both India and Pakistan are “great friends’’ of the United States and Washington hoped that the two would resolve their differences through dialogue. He said the US wanted to be “helpful” in the process, but could not dictate to them how they should go about it.



Obama denied that his country pushed Pakistan and India to resume talks. He said : “Well, what we have said is that we think that all of South Asia would benefit by reduced tensions between India and Pakistan. I think that dialogue is the best way to reduce tensions.”



Terror camps still functional in Pakistan



The Multi Agency Centre, the nodal agency for terror related intelligence under the Home Ministry, says that there are 34 active and eight holding or dormant terror training camps operational across the border. The assessment is based on inputs from the Research and Analysis Wing, the Intelligence Bureau, Military Intelligence and National Technical Research Organisation, among others.

An official of the nodal agency said that around 2200 militants are housed in these camps.



Two militants killed in Kupwara encounter



Two militants have been killed in an encounter with the security forces in Kupwara district of northern Kashmir. The encounter took place on June 14 evening when the militants opened fire on an Army patrol at a village about 90 km. from Srinagar. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized from the possession of the slain militants.



In another incident, the security forces busted two militant hideouts in Rajouri and Poonch areas.



In Srinagar, a Pakistan trained militant was killed and two others injured when they were making bombs on June 18. The incident at Lal Bazaar took place just two days before Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit to Kashmir University for its convocation.



Empower youth : Ansari



Vice President Mohd. Hamid Ansari has called for implementation of recommendations of the Prime Minister’s working group to empower youth in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure their effective participation in the decision-making process. He was delivering the 17th Annual Convocation Address at the University of Kashmir in Srinagar on June 20.



Ansari said that two years ago, as chairman of the working group constituted by the Prime Minister on confidence building measures, he had submitted a set of recommendations which also focused on the Kashmir youth. He said the youth of the state, as in the rest of the country, want to fulfill their potential, lead lives with dignity and honour and contribute to their community and the nation.



This was the University’s first convocation on its campus in twenty-five years and took place amidst unprecedented security. The Chancellor of the University, Governor N.N. Vohra distributed degrees and awards to representatives of 900 scholars.



Vehicular traffic in one kilometer radius around the campus was barred except for the invitees.



Reports say that life in the Kashmir valley was affected on Saturday because of a shutdown called by the Hurriyat Conference (Geelani group) to protest against the Vice President’s visit.