Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Friday that infiltration across the borders was continuing in the state, helped, in fact by the vast destruction wrought by the October 8 quake. He, however, firmly believes that the 'militancy would vanish upto 90 per cent if people here rose in one voice against it'.
"These terrorists carry on their activities because people keep mum and the terrorists believe they have their support," Azad told a news conference on Friday evening. "When people rise against them in one voice 90 percent of terrorism would vanish. They should join the government for a decisive battle against terrorism."
Azad also said that the government would only engage itself in a dialogue with 'those militants who abjure violence'. Asserting that the recent spurt in violence may be related to the change of guard in the state, Azad said this has been the case in the past.
"Whenever there has been a change of guard in the state, as when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed became the CM in 2002, the terrorists carried out three fidayeen attacks and killed a Peoples Democratic Party MLA in the first ten days of the changeover," he said.
The chief minister said that many militants have crossed the borders in the aftermath of October 8 quake and are trying to speed up their activities.
Accepting that cross-border infiltration was continuing, Azad said the 'unprecedented peace process between India and Pakistan could proceed with out any hiccup only once the infiltration stopped. General Musharraf had promised the international community to halt any incursions into our side. More needs to be done in this direction'.
He said the Line of Control has been opened at five points and the 'routes, which once served as entry points for terrorism are now being used to ferry bilateral relief for the quake victims on both sides'.
He said 35 Kashmiris would cross into the Pakistan part of Kashmir in the Teetwal village of Tangdhar area in northern Kupwara district on Saturday.