PM: Pak creating trouble in
J&K
Tribune
News Service
SRINAGAR, Dec 6 — The
Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has blamed
Pakistan for creating trouble in Jammu and Kashmir and
trying to disrupt the peace in the state.
Mr Vajpayee, who arrived
today on a two-day visit to the state, said this while
addressing public meetings at Leh and Kargil.
He was accompanied by the
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah and
some of his ministerial colleagues on his visit to
Ladakh. This is the first visit of any Prime Minister to
Ladakh in 10 years.
Mr Vajpayee said India
would give a befitting reply to Pakistan's acts of
destabilisation.
Jammu and Kashmir had
suffered a lot during the one decade of militancy,
particularly in the Kashmir valley, Mr Vajpayee said and
asked people to frustrate the designs of Pakistan to
destabilise the unity and integrity of India.
He also assured people of
the region that all their problems would be taken into
consideration and the necessary steps taken to fulfil
their demands.
In his address at Leh, the
Prime Minister said that the matter regarding the opening
of the road for the Kailash yatra would be taken up with
China.
Later, addressing newsmen
in Srinagar, Mr Vajpayee, said that his Government was
ready to engage Pakistan in a constructive dialogue on
the entire gamut of issues of peace, confidence-building,
cooperation and development.
After his day-long tour of
the Ladakh region, Mr Vajpayee hoped that India and
Pakistan would create a new chapter of peace, good
neighbourliness and collective prosperity in the next
century.
Earlier, he addressed the
gathering at the civic reception accorded to him. Jammu
and Kashmir Governor G.C. Saxena, Chief Minister Farooq
Abdullah, his ministerial colleagues and National
Conference and other party leaders were present on the
occasion.
Even after resuming
bilateral talks, "Pakistan has been creating tension
and provocation along the border", Mr Vajpayee
stated. He said that it was a futile exercise and equally
futile were the "attempts to bring in a third party
to intermediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir
issue."
The Prime Minister
stressed the need for resolution of the Kashmir issue
"within the framework of the Simla Agreement".
He added that for the past five decades, the "rulers
of Pakistan have failed to break Jammu and Kashmir away
from India... Yet the fact of the matter is that Pakistan
has allowed this issue to cloud our bilateral relations
and multilateral cooperation in South Asia as a
whole".
The Prime Minister
conveyed to the rulers of Pakistan that Kashmir was
"one of the best symbols of India’s ancient
civilisation and modern nationhood. It is the strongest
refutation of the communal basis for the two-nation
theory".
In reply to a question,
the Prime Minister said that status quo vis-a-vis Kashmir
be maintained. "Let other issues be discussed and
this one be frozen", Mr Vajpayee said.
He added that efforts
should be made to develop friendly relations between the
two countries. He said there was no change on the stance
over Kashmir, adding that it was legally and
constitutionally an integral part of India.
He stressed the need for
resolution of the issue within the framework of the Simla
Agreement. Parliament had passed a resolution that the
entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, including the PoK, was
an integral part of India.
Mr Vajpayee ruled out any
proposal to change the LoC into an international border
with Pakistan. Here he differed with the Jammu and
Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, who admitted
to have stated repeatedly that PoK be left with Pakistan
Dr Abdullah added that it was his "individual
statement".
In reply to a question,
the Prime Minister said that the situation was
"going towards near-normalcy" in the state.
"Some incidents still take place, but these are less
and the sphere is reduced". He expressed the hope
that total normalcy will be restored.
Jammu and Kashmir already
enjoyed special status. "There is no proposal to
change that status", he said, adding that a certain
autonomy was being enjoyed by all the states of the
country. "We believe in further devolution of
powers", the Prime Minister declared.
Earlier, speaking at the
Civic Reception, the Prime Minister announced that India
would not make any more nuclear experiments. "We
will not be the first to use nuclear weapons," he
said, adding, "a war is to be waged against poverty,
unemployment and diseases". He expressed concern
over the increasing population of the country that
demanded more attention in these affairs.
The Prime Minister
informed that the Centre has invited the State Government
to have a detailed meeting in Delhi this month on the
various problems, including the financial crisis with the
Centre. All questions will be discussed there to overcome
the problems faced by the State.
"Our first priority
is to consolidate the return of peace, normalcy and
development to the State in recent months. The youth of
Jammu and Kashmir want opportunities for employment.
Students want their schools and colleges to run
undisturbed. The villagers want roads, transport and
power situation to improve", the Prime Minister
stated.
Referring to the role by
the security forces, the Prime Minister said that they
had done a commendable job in countering the activities
of subversive and secessionist forces.
Meanwhile, the CPM state
unit here today boycotted the civic reception to the
Prime Minister at the Sher-e-Kashmir International
Conference Centre. Mr Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, General
Secretary and MLA, told TNS that the day was a "grim
reminder of a biggest ever national tragedy". He
said that the Prime Minister's visit to Srinagar on this
day was "unfortunate".
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