The Hindu : Aversion to violence visible in Jammu and Kashmir: Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 05, 2003

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Aversion to violence visible in Jammu and Kashmir: Advani

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI NOV. 4. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, said today that he had agreed to meet the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference in the spirit of the Vajpayee Government's stand to resolve all conflicts through dialogue and peaceful means.

"I hope that they [Hurriyat leaders] bring to these talks a sincere, constructive and realistic approach, consistent with the intense desire of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to see an end to [the] era of violence," he said.

Inaugurating the annual all-India conference of Directors-General and Inspectors-General of Police here, Mr. Advani said: "We have added a new dimension to these efforts to restore peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. The Government has always been open to the resolution of all conflicts through dialogue and peaceful means. It is in this spirit that I have agreed to meet the Hurriyat leaders."

The popular aversion to terrorism and violence in Jammu and Kashmir could be gauged from the near absence of Kashmiris in militant outfits, he said. After last year's elections, which where were universally acclaimed as free and fair, the Centre had extended full support to the confidence-restoring measures undertaken by the State Government. "There is evident joy in Kashmir as tourism blossomed again this year. As a result, during the current year nearly 1.75 lakh tourists visited the Kashmir Valley and 1.5 lakh pilgrims undertook the Amarnath yatra. These are indicative of the fast changing ground situation."

`Not a sign of weakness'

Referring to the recent confidence building measures announced by the Government aimed at increasing people-to-people relationships between India and Pakistan, Mr. Advani hoped that Pakistan would not make the mistake of seeing it as a sign of weakness. "We hope too that Islamabad wakes up to the fact that Pakistani society itself has had to pay a high cost because of its continuing support to terrorism. I wish to reiterate here that India has the requisite strength and determination to foil the campaign of cross-border terrorists sponsored by the Pakistani ruling dispensation," he said.

Noting that as many as 183 Pakistan-sponsored terrorist modules, aimed at destabilising India, had been busted since 1998, Mr. Advani said 21 modules were unearthed this year. Whether Governments acknowledged it or not, Pakistan was increasingly being seen as the epicentre of "jehadi terrorism". "Our repeated assertion that forces supportive of terrorism are receiving assistance and sanctuaries in Pakistan is receiving corroboration," he said citing the example of Dawood Ibrahim being declared a "specially designated global terrorist" by the U.S.

Stressing the need for a stepped-up campaign against naxalite violence, he said the recent attack on the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, near Tirupati by the People's War underscored the need for States to organise and employ their best resources, intelligence and active cooperation in combating the growing extremist network.

Special CRPF wing

"Naxalites exploit developmental imbalances and latent conflicts in society to further their diabolical plan. Hence, the problem is not amenable to resolution through policing alone. At the Centre, we are examining the feasibility of raising a CRPF wing specially trained to tackle naxalite groups. The proposed wing would remain a striking force to be dovetailed with the composite action initiated by States themselves against underground as well as overground cadres," he said.

Referring to the Prime Minister's recent Nagaland visit, Mr. Advani said the deep-seated desire among all sections of Naga society for enduring peace surfaced during the visit. However, the situation in Tripura and Manipur continued to cause concern, he cautioned. "One of the factors which has prevented effective action against the northeast insurgent groups is existence of their sanctuaries in the neighbouring countries," he said.

Mr. Advani said that the police must earn the trust of the people. Referring to the recent outrage outside Delhi's Siri Fort auditorium where a Swiss woman diplomat was assaulted in the heart of a crowded area supposedly covered by numerous watchful police eyes, he said no sophistry could absolve the police of its responsibility in such cases.

"Like the feel-good factor in the economy, an average citizen should feel safe and secure in India,'' he said. Mr. Advani gave away police medals and certificates to 34 Intelligence Bureau officers for meritorious service.

In his address, the Director, IB, K.P. Singh, touched upon areas of concern such as terrorism, insurgency, organised crime, cyber crime, kidnapping for ransom and lamented that preventive and community policing had declined sharply over the years. He said that in the past year 187 "jehadi" modules had been busted by the IB and security personnel in the country's hinterland other than Jammu and Kashmir.

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