Chidambaram says govt to pursue quiet diplomacy in J&K

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today said the Government would follow a policy of quiet diplomacy to find a solution to the problem in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the All India Editors' Conference on Social and Infrastructure Issues in Srinagar today, Mr Chidambaram said the Government recognised that there were different shades of opinion in the State and would hold consultations with all sections.

He said the whole effort would be conducted quietly until the contours of a political solution to the problem was found. This, he said, was essential to take the process forward.

Despite repeated questions, Mr Chidambaram declined to provide any further details on the process, saying the Government wanted to keep it quiet.

According to him, the ultimate solution must be honourable and acceptable to the vast majority of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and must recognize the unique history and geography of the state.

Mr Chidambaram said there had been a marked improvement in the security situation in the state, with the number of violent incidents in the first nine months of the current year standing at 395--the lowest during the period in the last eight-nine years.

The Home Minister said the Government's approach to violence in the state was one of zero tolerance. He said most of the violence could be attributed to infiltrators from across the international border and the Line of Control.

He said better systems to check infiltration had now been put in place and it had come down in recent months. He was confident that, thanks to increased vigil by the security forces, it would be possible to bring infiltration down to the barest minimum.

Mr Chidambaram said that, on the developmental front, mechanisms had been put in place to speed up the execution of various projects under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan.

He recalled that a group of Secretaries, led by the Cabinet Secretary, had recently visited the state and held a detailed review of the progress of the projects.

He said Secretaries of individual departments would visit the state next month to hold discussions with the state government regarding the progress of the projects pertaining to their departments and also make field visits.

Earlier, Mr Chidambaram released the first issue of the Jammu & Kashmir Update, a publication of the Ministry of Home Affairs. It has been brought out in Hindi, English and Urdu.

NNN