Centre tells Omar: Take political steps
The Centre has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to take urgent political steps to address the grim law and order situation in the Valley. While rushing additional Central forces to the state, a senior home ministry official observed that Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah needs to be “politically more active”
to bring an end to the ongoing violence being fuelled by anti-national elements. As many as 716 incidents of stone pelting have occurred in the Valley over last three-four months, government sources said. The government is hopeful that once law and order is under control in Jammu and Kashmir, “all shades of opinion” could be invited for a dialogue to evolve a political solution.
Home minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday said that the Army will remain in Kashmir “as long as it is necessary”. He said that the Army has been kept ready in case it becomes necessary to deploy them. Mr Chidambaram said that curfew will be strictly enforced by the state police and the CRPF and appealed to the people to observe restrictions. He said that the role of the Army was to “serve as a deterrent” and hoped that the Army would not be required there for too long. “Army was deployed at the request of government of Jammu and Kashmir. I am not at liberty to disclose where it has been deployed. But I can assure that most of the places affected are still being patrolled and curfew enforced by the Jammu and Kashmir police and paramilitary forces,” Mr Chidambaram told reporters.
The government on Thursday moved in 800 personnel drawn from the CRPF and the BSF to the violence-hit state to maintain law and order. More paramilitary force personnel will be dispatched to the Valley in the next few days.
Meanwhile, curfew may be relaxed in the Valley because of Friday prayers and for Shab-e-Mehraj, a religious function on Saturday.
Home secretary G.K. Pillai, who briefed Mr Chidambaram on his return from Srinagar, has asked the state government to crack down on miscreants.
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BJP blames PDP, NC for crisis
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
July 8: The main Opposition BJP on Thursday alleged that the PDP and National Conference were indulging in “competitive communalism” in Kashmir. The party said it was the reason why law and order situation in the area was deteriorating. The BJP also demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the problems in the trouble-torn areas of the state.
Senior BJP leader and national spokesperson, Mr Prakash Javadekar, alleged that failure of Centre to take “timely action” was also the reason behind deterioration of the state’s law and order situation.
“The explosive situation in Kashmir Valley, which has been deteriorating day by day, has reached the level witnessed during the Hazratbal controversy in 1963-64 when military had to play a role,” said Mr Javadekar.
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