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| PDP leadership dismayed over Mukherjee's remarks | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Dec 9
The leadership of thePDP,which shares power with the Congress in Jammu andKashmir,received a setback when the External AffairsMinister,Pranab Mukherjee,told,in clear terms,PakistanForeign Minister,Imam-ul-Haq,that there was noquestion of demilitarisation in the troubled state.MrMukherjee,during his meeting with his counterpart inPakistan,in Delhi recently told Mr Haq that since thestate continued to witness terrorism and violencedemilitarisation was not warranted The mood in the.PDP camp was upbeat after its demandfor withdrawal of troops from private buildings andorchards had been conceded by the Government which resulted in the vacation of over 80 school buildings and hospitals in the Kashmirvalley.The Army and the security forces occupy over3.71 lakh kanals of land,which includes over 1.50lakh kanals of land in Leh and Kargil districts,and
assuch it may take a long time for the troops to vacatethese areas that too when the state agencies are yetto identify alternate sites for the troops to set uptheir units.But the begining the Government made inclearing school buildings and hospitals of theoccupation by the security forces was treated by thePDP leadership as vindication of its stand. Though the PDP leadership is upset over the lateststand the Government of India took on demilitarisationit has decided to persist with the demand and plans toinclude it in the poll manifesto during the nextelection.Commenting on the stand India took during themeeting with Pakistan in Delhi on demilitarisationsenior PDP leaders said that "our demand fordemilitarisation has been misconstrued by theGovernment." They said "we want troops to be withdrawnfrom the areas where the level of militancy has gonemarkedly down.We favour police to get the main rolein
antiinsurgency operations." The PDP leaders are of the view that once troopswere withdrawn the incidents of human rightsviolations in Kashmir could nose dive which couldencourage even separatists to join the mainstreampolitical activities.They also believe thatdemilitarisation could encourage people in taking partin the poll process and if the voting percentageduring the next Assembly election ranged between 60and 70 per cent it could demoralise the separatists inKashmir.Whatever may be their arguments in favour ofdemilitarisation neither the State Government nor thecentre wish to take the risk of pulling troops outfrom within the valley.The Government agencies opposedemilitarisation on the ground that even non initiationof combat operations,enforced in 2000,in the state hadencouraged militants to reestablish their bases.Hencethe Government prefers to link demilitarisation withthe level of violence
and infiltration.Intelligenceagencies have conveyed to the centre that though thelevel of violence and infiltration had declined,it wasnot opportune time to withdraw troops. |
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