Chidambaram tells CMs that Centre is determined to defeat dark forces.
The stepped up efforts across the border to intensify terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir seem to have contributed to the postponement of the much-talked-about Saarc meeting in Pakistan.
The meeting was slated for next week and was to be attended by home minister P Chidambaram. The minister was to hold bilateral discussions with his Pakistani counterpart.
The fact that both prime minister Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram referred to the situation on the line of control (LoC) in their statements at the chief ministers’ conference on internal security on Sunday, amply reflected the mood in the government on peace overtures to be made to Pakistan.
Although Singh made only a passing remark on the activities of “hostile groups” from across the border trying to create trouble in J&K, Chidambaram was more forthcoming in his criticism and resolved to confront and defeat these divisive forces, reflecting the differing perceptions in the government on re-starting Indo-Pak peace initiatives.
Although Chidambaram candidly stated that it was for the ministry of external affairs to take a call on when and where such a dialogue would be held, he left no one in doubt about his ministry’s role in the process. “We [the government] assess the threat to the country’s internal security of which home ministry is a part. The government also makes an overall assessment of the situation before making a move,” he said.
The tough posture adopted by the home ministry vis-a-vis Pakistan after the February 4 meeting of various terrorist groups in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has led to a strong feeling in the higher echelons of the government about the home and the external affairs ministries’ different approaches.
Denying any such differences, Chidambaram launched a high-voltage offensive on terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujaheedin operating from Pakistan.
“The goal of these dark forces [terrorist groups] to annex Kashmir would not succeed and we will counter them with our full might,”
he said.
Agreeing that there had been no terrorist attack and no significant communal violence in the last 14 months, Chidambaram cautioned against becoming complacent as the country was still vulnerable to terror strikes. “We must remain vigilant and continue to enhance our capacity,” he told the chief ministers.
In this regard, he pointed to a large number of vacancies in state police forces. “There has been much progress on this front. I hope all the vacancies will be filled by March 2011 although the deadline set by the Centre is September 2010,” he said.
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