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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
The Centre on Tuesday rejected Hurriyat Conference's suggestion that it should announce a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir and direct the security forces to stop operations against the militants.
Talking to rediff.com, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, I D Swami, said that the Hurriyat had no locus standi to ask for a ceasefire in the state.
"Why should the government announce ceasefire when the security forces have an upper hand and we are seeing the results of the pro-active policy followed by the government in the state. More and more militants are now being accounted for," Swami said.
He questioned the credibility of the Hurriyat Conference for making such a demand. "Last year, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced a unilateral ceasefire in J&K and it was extended for six months. Attempts to hold talks with militant groups were thwarted by terrorists operating from Pakistan. We are now following a pro-active policy in the state and it will continue," he said.
He also described the allegations made by Hurriyat Conference leader Abdul Gani Lone at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday as baseless.
Lone had alleged that the attack "on my residence seems to bear the signature of the state and the central government".
"There is no basis for making such allegations. Why should the Centre or the state government of J&K be after Abdul Gani Lone, particularly when we know that he represents the saner element in the Hurriyat Conference," Swami asked.
He said Lone would have been provided security if he had asked for it. "I am not aware if the state government has withdrawn his security. We keep on reviewing the threat perception to VIP's and accordingly the security is either enhanced or scaled down. I do not have full records about his case right now and hence it would not be proper for me to comment," he added.
He denied that the level of violence in J&K had gone down after the American attack on Afghanistan.
"The incidents may not have increased but they certainly have not gone down. I had recently visited Kupwara and several other areas in the valley, and in my discussions with the security officials there was no report that suggested a decrease in violence," he said.
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