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| J&K won’t tolerate human rights abuse: Vohra State coming back to peace, normalcy | | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 22: Governor N N Vohra today reiterated the State’s commitment to ensuring zero tolerance towards human rights violations.
He also said welcomed the Foreign Secretary-level dialogue between India and Pakistan, saying that the state is slowly coming back to peace and normalcy.
The Governor, during his 50-minute-long address to a joint sitting of the State Legislature on the opening day of the budget session, said “The government would uphold human rights at all costs” and there would be “zero tolerance towards those indulging in human rights abuses”.
He further said that human rights violations have become a major issue because of the stone pelting demonstrations in Kashmir and the use of firing and tear gas against those throwing stones.
Similarly, while welcoming the proposed talks between India and Pakistan, he said, “To restore complete peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir, it is essential that process of (Indo-Pak) dialogue be resumed. The state government welcomes the projected discussions between the Foreign Secretaries of Indian and Pakistan.”
“After more than two decades of militancy-related violence and terrorism, there is a palpable yearning for peace across all sections of the society in the state,” he said, adding “There is significant reduction in terrorist incidents in the state in 2009.”
He said that there were 499 terror incidents last year as compared to 708 in 2008 and 1,092 in 2007, adding that this trend clearly shows that situation is improving significantly. It indicates a return of normalcy in the state.
However, there is an increase in infiltration attempts into the state from across the LoC and International Border during 2009 and in the month of January 2010, Vohra said.
While effective initiatives have been taken against militants, the government is clear that all the action taken should be in conformity with the law, he said.
The governor recalled how a huge voter turnout during the 2008 assembly elections had demonstrated the faith of the people in democracy. It also highlighted the way the government was moving to “give employment to the unemployed”.
Over recent employment policy announced by the ruling dispensation, he said, “The Sher-e-Kashmir employment policy announced in December 2009 is a step in this direction.”
The policy aims to provide work to the jobless youth in the state by giving them soft loans, land and also filling vacancies in government departments. This policy will come into effect in April this year.
The governor also touched upon the issue of jobs for Kashmiri Hindu youth, and also on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Rs.1, 618 crore relief and rehabilitation programme for the community that had fled the valley en masse in 1990 to save itself from persecution by Islamic militants. “The government will continue to work for the peace and progress of Jammu and Kashmir,” Vohra said.
He said that the Government has made a new beginning on political and administrative fronts even as efforts are on to give a boost to the socio-economic profile of the State.
He said while restoring peace and tranquility remains the top priority of the Government, a de-centralised development process, where each region has an equitable share along with the strengthening of Panchayati Raj institutions, are necessary to make Jammu & Kashmir a really developed State.
“The Government has a special responsibility for tackling the problems faced by the victims of militancy. A total of 6467 militancy affected persons, including children and the disabled, have been covered under the enhanced pension schemes with an expenditure of Rs.2.52 crore while scholarships, amounting to Rs.1.55 crore, have been disbursed to 1590 orphans,” he said.
Later, the copies of the Governor’s Address were tabled in both the Houses of the State Legislature, which met separately. In the Legislative Assembly, the Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone, reported and laid on the table the copy of the Governor’s Address.
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