By IANS,
Srinagar : Home Minister P. Chidambaram said here Wednesday that the government was working on an honourable solution to the Kashmir problem and that separatist voices would be heard but stressed that there would be “no place for violence”. He also said that infiltration from Pakistan was on the rise.
“There will be a unique, honourable and acceptable solution to the problem in Jammu and Kashmir. We are working on it,” Chidambaram told reporters on the sidelines of the All India Editors’ conference on social and infrastructural issues.
The home minister said that the government was not afraid of talking to anyone.
“We accept separatist voices. We will talk to all shades of opinion in the state, but there is no place for violence,” he said.
Chidambaram reiterated that the government was committed to ending militancy in the state and noted that the situation had improved considerably.
“We will end militancy here. The security situation is much better and improved and we are trying to find solutions to the many problems in the state,” he said.
He said that the state police would have a frontal role in maintaining law and order and addressing the security issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
Chidambaram also said the government was working on a “quiet diplomacy and this would only be made public after the desired results were achieved”.
But he said there has been an increase in infiltration to India from Pakistan in the past two to three months.
“A spurt in infiltration has been seen after the general elections and the number did rise in the last two to three months from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan,” Chidambaram told reporters here.
The home minister, however, said that infiltration is likely to come down during the winter.
The home minister also said that the central government may ban pre-paid mobile phone connections in the state because of security concerns.
Chidambaram assured that the prime minister’s reconstruction programme would address the problems of unemployed among the youth in the state.