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Rights violations will not be tolerated: Sayeed

Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Thursday declared that human rights violations by security forces will not be tolerated.

Mr. Sayeed, whose coalition government is completing three years in office on November 2, however said that because of the changed political atmosphere any violation was brought into sharp focus as in the recent killing of three children in Kupwara.

Addressing a press conference, he said there were still problems on the security front, "but the overall atmosphere is changing."

The Chief Minister cited figures to strengthen his claim about a change on the ground. "There is a 25 per cent decrease in the violence", he said. The infiltration too has come down with only 145 militants managing to cross the LoC by August 3, compared to 369 during the same period last year.

He said the Muzaffarabad bus service which has ferried around 410 passengers since its start on April 7 should not be confined to divided families. "We have sent a list of businessmen, a group of Kashmiri Pandits and writers who want to go across and the response is awaited," he said.

"The peace process should continue as it has undermined the role of the gun and people also have developed a stake in it". He hoped that the stalled dialogue between the Hurriyat and the Centre would resume soon.

When asked whether he would continue as Chief Minister even after November 2, Mr. Sayeed avoided a direct reply and said "our stand on the issue is clear and there is no ambiguity on it." But in response to another question he said: "you will be surprised to see that there is no three year or four year (term)."

The resumed economic activity had pushed the State's GDP from 4.3 per cent in the 90s to 9.3 in 2005-06, he announced.

He said a recent survey by an NGO putting J & K at No. 2 in the list of corrupt States was wrong. "I do not know what mechanism they have adopted but I want to tell you that we have employed 50,000 people and give me a single example where money has been asked for."

He said that there was a complaint about appointment of doctors and "we sent the orders to their homes". An Accountability Commission is being set up and the Vigilance Organisation was also doing its job.

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Rights violations will not be tolerated: Sayeed

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