rediff.com: Restrain forces in J&K, MPs tell Centre

A parliamentary standing committee on Thursday asked the government to ensure that its security forces in Jammu & Kashmir exercised "utmost restraint" while dealing with the scourge of terrorism, keeping in view the delicate nature of the situation in the state.

"This, however, should not be construed as a reflection on the security forces," the Standing Committee on Home Affairs said, adding that it was fully aware of the adverse circumstances in which the forces were discharging their duty.

The report by the 42-member committee chaired by Congress politician Pranab Mukherjee, felt that the situation in Jammu & Kashmir had taken a "positive turnaround" with the cease-fire initiative of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"The most heartening development has been the positive response of the people of the state to the peace initiative, which has sprung from their strong yearning for restoration of peace and normalcy," the committee's 73rd report, tabled in Parliament, said.

It condemned the "unabated" effort by foreign terrorist organisations to derail the peace initiative and hoped that the people would disapprove of the anti-peace efforts of the foreign mercenaries operating in the state.

The committee lauded the "important role" being played by the village defence committees in combating terrorism and said more emphasis was needed on their organisational set-up and strengthening their network.

Noting that more and more VDC volunteers were being targeted by the extremists, the committee suggested that at least two or three fully trained security force personnel should be attached to each VDC.

"The attachment of security personnel will add a touch of professionalism to their functioning, besides establishing better contact between the VDCs and security forces participating in counter-insurgency operations," it said.

This apart, the attached security personnel could impart training to VDC members in using sophisticated weapons and communication devices like wireless sets, it observed.

The committee regretted that the VDCs and special police officers were not getting adequate financial compensation for their services in counter-insurgency operations and asked the Government to keep in mind the need to provide them an adequate financial package to encourage the participation of a greater number of people.

On the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits who had migrated from the valley, the committee said "consistent and persistent" efforts should continue to be made by the Centre and the state government for their early return so that the "nefarious designs" of some foreign elements at ethnic cleansing were defeated.


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