Union home minister P Chidambaram proposed on Wednesday an “honourable, equitable and acceptable” solution to the Kashmir problem by entering into dialogue with all shades of opinions, including those advocating separatism.
“There are groups which are not established political parties. They don’t contest elections but have a point of view. We will have a dialogue with every section of society,” Chidambaram told the All India Editors’ Conference here on Wednesday.
“A solution to the Kashmir problem must recognise that it has a unique geography and history and hence, needs a unique solution. We hope to find an acceptable solution,” he said.
Chidambaram said despite repeated warnings, Pakistani continued to recruit and train young boys before brainwashing them to infiltrate into India. “Infiltration is the root cause of violence in Jammu and Kashmir. After putting in place a better intelligence network and an improved special operation group, we have been able to reduce infiltration, if not stop it,” he said.
“Sadly, the infiltrators are mostly in the rank of commanders, who are so brainwashed that they are willing to risk their lives in pursuit of jihad,” he said. Asserting that the Centre will adopt a zero-tolerance stand against violence in J&K, Chidambaram said, “There is no place for violence in Kashmir. For the first nine months of the calendar year, around 395 incidents of violence have taken place, the lowest in nine years. Sixty civilians and 66 security forces personnel have died, while 185 militants have been killed during this period,” he said.
“There will be political differences and political opinions. There will be shades of opinions which are described as extremists. There will be some voices who will be pleading for a separate nation. We accept that as it is a reality. Whatever the cause, there is no place for violence. We hope to continue our policy to bring an end to militancy,” he said.
Chidambaram said prepaid SIM cards may be banned in Kashmir because of security reasons. “If our efforts to persuade people to switch over to post-paid services do not work out, we may have to ban pre-paid SIM cards in Kashmir,” he said.
On talks with groups in the Northeast, he said, “In the Northeast, there are insurgent groups. In Kashmir there are political groups, of which, some may be advocating separatism,” he said
Meanwhile, Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq welcomed the home minister’s olive branch. “The statement signifies a change in the Indian rhetoric. They are now ready for talks and we welcome such an important gesture,” he said.
