The Hindu : Front Page : Committed to ensuring a life of peace in Kashmir: Manmohan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2005

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Committed to ensuring a life of peace in Kashmir: Manmohan

Vinay Kumar

Prime Minister hints at reduction of troops if violence, infiltration end

TWO STEPS AHEAD: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Hurriyat leaders (from left) Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Abdul Ghani Bhat and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, prior to the talks he had with them at his residence in New Delhi on Monday. _ PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

NEW DELHI: The moderate faction of the separatist Hurriyat Conference met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday. The two sides agreed to carry forward the dialogue process so that "all regions and shades of political opinion in Jammu and Kashmir are involved."

Dr. Singh hinted at a reduction of the armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir if violence ceased and infiltration ended.

A brief statement, read out by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru, after nearly three hours of the first round of talks with the five-member Hurriyat delegation, said several issues concerning the rights of the people were raised.

Review of cases

Reiterating his commitment to ensure a life of peace, self-respect and dignity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister agreed to review all cases of those held in detention. He would ensure that there was no violation of human dignity. He told the Hurriyat leaders that the Government would take all measures to guard against human rights violations.

"The Prime Minister agreed to a time-bound review of those held under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and POTA. The Prime Minister said that if there is a cessation of violence and an end to infiltration, conditions will be created for the reduction of armed forces," the statement said.

Welcoming the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister, the Hurriyat delegation said the dialogue process should lead to the resolution of all outstanding issues. The delegation stressed that an honourable and durable solution should be found through dialogue. It was agreed that the only way forward was to ensure that all forms of violence at all levels came to an end.

The delegation welcomed the India-Pakistan peace process and the initiatives taken so far by the Prime Minister, including the resumption of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.

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