New Delhi, July 26: The crucial phase of the new policy for return of youth of Jammu and Kashmir, who had crossed over to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) for arms training in early 1990s and were now willing to join the mainstream, was “extremely complicated” and the Government is trying to address it, Home Minister P Chidambaram said here.
He also said the Centre will convene an all party meeting to present it with the report once the interlocutors on Kashmir submit their recommendations.
Replying to questions on whether Pakistan's ISI or other terror groups had abducted the youth who were willing to return to India, the Minister said “I do not know about all that.
“All I know is that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir received a certain number of applications for surrender and rehabilitation policy and they have been able to shortlist certain number of names to whom benefit of travel documents can be given to return to the Indian side of the LoC,” he told PTI.
He said having reached that point now, the logistic problems are “extremely complicated” and were being addressed. The Centre after due deliberations had shortlisted names of 28 people whose families had approached the state government expressing willingness that there kins were willing to surrender.
Under the new surrender and rehabilitation policy, families of short-listed people have been communicated about the Government's decision and advised that their kin could go to the Indian Mission in Islamabad where they would be handed over a temporary travel document to facilitate their crossover either through Wagah or any other cross-over point between the two nation.
Complimenting the Omar Abdullah government on handling protests, the Home Minister said they had learnt their lessons.
“I think the Government has learnt some lessons how to handle stone pelters. They are doing it much better this year. There are also far fewer cases of stone pelting. They are able to localise it and contain it. The police and the Government has learnt lessons on how to handle stone pelting,” he said.
On the issue of infiltration, Chidambaram said that Pakistan-based terror outfits were trying hard to push in their men from across the border but only a few such bids could materialise.
“The attempts to infiltrate are still high. The successful attempts are few,” he said.
Asked about his recent visit to downtown Srinagar, Chidambaram, who is probably the only Home Minister to have travelled the narrow roads of the old Srinagar city, said “people were quite happy. I mean we travelled with minimal security, the security that DGP had. People saw us, people stopped us, our car got stalled in the traffic.
To a question, he said, “I think threats are exaggerated. There is a threat but I don't think we should exaggerate the threat. Things are certainly more normal today than they were couple of years ago.
“Certainly more normal than they were six-seven years ago. Last year you must keep out the stone pelting and firing that was an unfortunate chapter. If you keep that out, you will find that you will see that the trend line of violence in Kashmir has declined,” the Home Minister said. PTI
