Rajnath hints at talks with Hurriyat to end Valley strife
SHARPTURN Contrary to its earlier stand, govt now seems open to engage with the separatists
In a sharp reversal of the Centre's declared policy of not talking to the Kashmiri separatists, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday dropped broad hints that the government is not averse to initiating a dialogue with the Hurriyat in order to end the cycle of violence in the Valley.
“From the beginning I have been saying that we are ready for talks. Whoever comes forward for talks, we will talk. We are open to talks to find a solution to the Kashmir issue. All problems can be resolved only through dialogue,” Singh said at a press conference to mark the three years of the Modi regime.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor as well as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti have been lobbying for talks with the separatists but the Centre has so far not heeded to such advice. Singh insisted that the current spate of violence in the Valley was neither very alarming nor abnormal as there have been such situations in the past also. “There were bad situations in the past too. We will control it and bring back normalcy,” the Home Minister said.Rajnath Singh asserted that the Modi government was working towards a “permanent solution” to the seven-decadeold Kashmir issue. “It will take some time, but it will happen,” he said, adding, “I am repeating this with utmost responsibility after much thinking and deliberations. We have some plans and are working in that direction.”
Singh, however, refused to divulge whether the solution would be political or military in nature. “It will be comprehensive and integrated solution,” was all that he was willing to state.
In the same breath, Singh vowed to uproot Pakistansponsored terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. “There is no doubt, no confusion that Pakistan is fomenting trouble in Kashmir. I assure you that the violence will not last long,” he said.
From the beginning I have been saying that we are ready for talks. Whoever comes forward, we will talk to them. All problems can be resolved — Rajanth Singh
Terror outfit ISIS had not been able to set foot in India despite the presence of the world’s second largest Muslim population, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said at a press conference on three years of the Modi government.
More than 90 sympathisers of ISIS had been arrested due to better coordination between state and central security agencies.
Five terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) group were given capital punishment as part of the government’s focused efforts to check terrorism, Singh said.
“The Union home ministry has a major responsibility to provide security to the country. I can say that we have together by and large provided security to the country.
“India is the second largest country as far as Muslim population in the world is concerned. I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large population (of Muslims), the ISIS has not been able to set foot,” he said.
The ISIS and the Ansar-ulUmmah, frontal organisation of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group, have been included in the list of banned terrorist organisations in order to check terrorism.
“There is improvement in the security situation in the country. We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS,” the home minister said.
Comparing the previous UPA regime with the NDA tenure, he said a total of 239 militants were neutralised from 2011 to 2013. “This number has gone up to 369 during 2014-17.”
He said there had been 45% reduction in infiltration attempts from Pakistan since the surgical strike by the Army in September 2016, compared to the corresponding six months in the previous year.
“We will end Pakistansponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure peace,” the home minister said.
Singh mentioned special initiatives being taken by the NDA government to provide skill and job opportunities to youths in Kashmir.
In the three years of the UPA regime (2011-14), he said, over 1,900 youths were provided skill training and jobs were offered to 1,591. In 2014-17, as many as 20,355 were given training and 30,175 were given job offers.
The remuneration given to Special Police Officers (SPOs) had been doubled to Rs 6,000 from Rs 3,000 per month, the home minister said. Besides, 10,000 new posts of SPOs were approved in addition to the existing 25,000.
Five new Indian Reserve battalions had been approved for Jammu and Kashmir. “We have approved 63 projects under PM package worth Rs 80,000 crore for J-K,” he said.