New Delhi/Srinagar, Sep 6: Apparently nudging the separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir towards electoral politics, the Centre Thursday asked them “to show spirit of accommodation and meet people's aspirations democratically.”
“We realize that there are still sections of society in the state, albeit small ones with limited influence, which have grievances. Such groups should realize that spirit of accommodation can create the backdrop for democratic aspirations of the people to be achieved,” Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said while delivering the inaugural speech at the three-day annual meet here of police directors general and inspectors general from states and central police forces.
According to political observers, exit of P Chidambaram from the home ministry has again given leverage to the Prime Minister’s office to deal with the Kashmir issue at political level instead of handling it as a security issue.
The latest statement by Shinde, loaded with political overtures towards separatists, is being seen as a significant indication in this regard. This was the first policy statement made by Shinde on Kashmir after he took over the reigns of the Union Home Ministry from Chidambaram who was moved to Union Finance Ministry in a minor reshuffle last month.
Complimenting the state government's all round successful efforts in ensuring steady progress towards controlling militancy Shinde said; “I have the pleasure to register my satisfaction with regard to the success of efforts made by all elements of the Jammu and Kashmir Government in ensuring steady progress towards controlling violence.”
He said besides controlling militant activities, the state government had been able in buttressing the confidence of the people about the bright future of their state.
The arrangements at the recent Amarnath pilgrimage, which ended last month, also came in for praise as Home Minister said “excellent arrangements led to a successful Amarnath Yatra this year.
“The number of tourists to the state has increased significantly, with more than 9.1 lakh tourists having visited so far this year as against about five lakh last year,” he said.
Shinde said the Government was aware of the threats that “various terrorist outfits still continued to pose and cognizant of the continuous thrust of Pakistan-based militant groups to infiltrate terrorists and hardware across the border and elevate the level of terrorist violence in different parts of India.”
“I would urge you to take prompt notice of every piece of intelligence as it is received, develop capacities for addressing the threats posed by terrorism, share experiences and create an overall milieu of collaboration wherein there should be no distinction between Central agencies and State Police Forces as they work together towards achieving the common objective of curbing terrorism,” he said.
Shinde also stressed that threat-related intelligence should be carefully handled, and that should be worked upon diligently but discreetly.
Shinde said Naxalism continued to pose a significant challenge. He said seven States are experiencing different levels of intensity of this problem, though nearly 80 per cent of Naxal violence is taking place in less than 30 districts, many of which are close to the inter-State boundaries.
Shinde said recent months saw an increase in communal incidents in the country, specially in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as compared with the same period last year.
There was no mention of National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in his speech.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 6 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 6 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
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