CCS discusses spurt in Kashmir violence

As Kashmir valley witnesses a fresh spurt in violence, the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met on Sunday night to take stock of the situation. This is the second time in less than a month the CCS has met to discuss the situation in Kashmir where a renewed wave of unrest since Friday--just when violence appeared to be ebbing--has led to death of nine people in three days in alleged police firing.

During the meeting, reports of various intelligence agencies and views of the political parties were discussed and the inputs received from the Jammu and Kashmir government and the state Governor N N Vohra analysed.

The CCS, while taking stock of the situation, also discussed the proposal of state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for beginning an internal dialogue with all shades of opinion.

The state government had also sent a request for a policy to rehabilitate former militants who had served their jail sentence and were unemployed besides a comprehensive policy for those youths who were willing to return from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

It may be mentioned that intelligence agencies had been reporting that the majority of stone pelters have been those who have been former militants at present unemployed.

Besides the Prime Minister, others who attended the meeting were Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony and other senior bureaucrats from Home and defence ministries.

The number of people who have lost their lives in violence since Friday has gone up to nine after three persons were killed in clashes between protestors and security forces which opened fire in Pampore and Khrew areas in the outskirts of the city today.

Curfew remained clamped in violence-hit Kashmir Valley as security forces maintained a close vigil on the situation, which continued to be tense.

The CCS had earlier met on July seven during which they discussed the Kashmir situation and had favoured "maximum crackdown" on miscreants who had contributed to deterioration of the current situation in the valley.