NEW DELHI: A comprehensive action plan is being worked out by the new Government to arrest the deteriorating law and order in the Kashmir Valley and evolve clear policy directives to restore normalcy in the border state.
After having detailed discussions with home minister, Mr S.B.Chavan, the governor of Kashmir Girish Chandra and senior Government officers, the Prime Minister Narsimha Rao, is believed to desired that the “action plan” focus on the economic ills of the state rather than political action” which might not produce results unless the people’s confidence in the Government was restored.
Highly placed sources said the secretaries of the finance, home and defense ministries have been asked by the Prime Minister to give viable schemes to rehabilitate the people engaged in militant related activities and to enhance employment for the educated youth, At the same time, Mr Rao has also told the governor to increase the pressure on the militants.
Mr Saxena, who has been there the past two days, has given his assessment of the law and order Situation as well as the state of economic activity in the in surgery infested state to the Prime Minister and the home minister. He has also suggested economic schemes which are being evaluated by the Central Government. Mr Saxena has been of course sought cooperation by the Government in his fight against insurgency, the sources said.
Mr Saxena said “the new government seems to be aware of the situation and sincere in taking steps to remove alienation of the people from the Government”. During the discussions, Mr Saxena said, “we evolved a general approach” to deal with the situation “which has arisen primarily because the neighboring country has chosen to launch “a proxy-war”. He said while an integrated look” at the situation was taken, action will have to be taken on many fronts.
Mr Saxens said his basic concern in the recent past has been to convince the people that militancy will not solve the problem, which was political in nature and will have to be solved through political means.
However, Mr Saxena said initiation of meaningful political activity in the troubled state will have to wait for some time.
The governor said the improvement in the situation would have been much faster had there not been “killing of passersby and others by security foreign reaction to militant attacks on them. He said due care was being taken to remove peoples grievances in such cases.
It is believed the action plan being evolved will also include steps to reactivate the local civil and police administration. A number of IAS and IPS officers of the J and K cadre were transferred out of the state in the recent past.
However, now the Government appears to be of the view that those state officers who can be restored to the state from the Union Government, should be sent back to help the local government in improving the situation. Already, two senior! AS officers, Mr Ashok Jaitely, and Mr Hindal Tayyabji have been directed to return to Srinagar. While Mr Jaitely was working as the J and K government’s financial commissioner in Delhi, M Tayyabji was on study leave. A third IAS officer, MrIqbal Khandey, is likely to be transferred back to the statefrom the pensions department here soon.
Yet another component of the action plan would be measures to create conditions conducive for return of the Kashmiri pundits who left the Valley early last year at the peak of separatist disturbances, In this respect, the Government would have to generate goodwill among the majority Muslim community for their pandit brethren rather depend on the security banduras.
Another area which the Government would like to emphasize in the action plan is publicity of the Government schemes being carried out for the local people and removal of any apprehensions of the people. The “excesses” being committed by both the militants and the security forces are also likely to be given more publicity so that misconceptions are cleared.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 5, 1991
