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Jammu & Kashmir Governor Girish Chander Saxena hinted on Monday that the current ceasefire in the state would be the last chance for terrorist and fundamentalist groups to "fall in line" and asserted that the government would get tough with them if the situation so warranted.
"There is no difference of opinion over the issue of suspension of combat operations against militants. But if these fundamentalist groups continue with their insane activities and try to pose any threat to the state, we can also go after them with an iron hand," Saxena told the Press Trust of India in New Delhi.
The governor was in the capital to inaugurate the eighth Asian executive policing conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Asked whether he expected the coming summer in the state to be 'hot', Saxena said, "We are keeping a close watch and at no point of time will the security forces lose their advantageous position."
"There is round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and whenever any militant group tries to stall the peace process by killing innocents, we go after them," Saxena, in his second term as governor of Jammu & Kashmir, said.
The former Research and Analysis Wing chief said that during the current extension of Non-Initiation of Combat Operations, the militant groups have to either fall in line or face the security forces.
Stressing that the peace move initiated by the Centre was necessary, he said, "The entire issue should be seen in totality. At no point of time can Kashmir be solved with military strength... there are other dimensions like political or economic solution as well."
Saxena said the present extension of ceasefire was an indication of the government's firm resolve to restore peace in the state and support the popular voice, which has been craving for a respite from the decade-long violence.
Asked about the growing incidence of suicidal attacks on installations of the security forces, Saxena said, "It is a challenging situation as some vested interests within these fundamentalist groups venture on such fidayeen [suicide] attacks... but the security forces have initiated some stern measures to curb such attacks."
"But despite all strict measures, one can never make foolproof arrangements for such attacks. The only thing we are concentrating on now is gathering and proper dissemination of intelligence information," he added.
But Saxena, to whom goes the credit for reviving the entire intelligence machinery in the state in his first stint as governor, believes the ceasefire has eased the situation at the borders in particular and in the state in general.
Asked whether the government was seeking any help from intelligence agencies across the world, he said, "The growing threat of fundamentalists has brought several countries closer in the international arena and some are working on a joint strategy to tackle it."
PTI
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