SRINAGAR, Oct 1: Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today expressed disappointment that some of the initiatives taken on Jammu and Kashmir during his tenure as Home Minister were not taken to logical conclusion but hoped these would be taken forward.
“We do not claim that we solved all the problems but we brought some passion to resolve those problems.
“I was disappointed that some of those initiatives were not taken to logical conclusion,” Chidambaram said in his address at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank here.
Referring to initiatives taken during his time at the Union Home Ministry, he said “I wish the interlocutors’ report and the All-Party delegation had taken the initiative forward.”
Chidambaram, however, hoped those initiatives would be taken forward.
“I still hope they will take the initiative forward. I wish that we, I and the Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah), had succeeded in persuading some of our colleagues to amend AFSPA. It is still work in progress but I believe it can be done,” he said.
The Union Finance Minister said there was possibility of further reducing the presence of armed forces as well as para-military troops in the State.
“I wish we had succeeded in reducing the presence of uniformed men in the State. I still think there is scope for thinning down the presence of the forces — both the defence forces and the para-military.”
Chidambaram said the initiatives were taken in 2010 with the hope that people of the State would have realised the futility of violence.
“These initiatives were taken in the hope that the people of J&K, the young people of J&K, had realised the futility of the path they had mistakenly taken in 2010,” he said.
The successful conduct of the Amarnath yatra and the revival of the tourism sector post-2010 agitation had brought cheer to people of the State, the Minister said.
“The success of the Amarnath yatra and the success of tourism had brought a high degree of hope and cheer to the State. All this helped in normalising the matters in J&K more,” he said.
The Union Finance Minister lavished praise on the Chief Minister and his Government but urged him to take more initiatives for bringing peace to the state.
“I think the Government of the day in J&K has done remarkable work in the last few years. I compliment the Chief Minister for the great work his Government has done in the last few years but there is still much more to be done to bring peace and progress to J&K,” he said.
Chidambaram admitted there were certain factors beyond the control of the Government but called for initiatives within the framework of the Constitution to make Kashmir “an oasis of peace” again.
“I know there are forces beyond our control … But working within the framework of the Constitution, it is still possible to take many more initiatives. Nothing will please me more to see this place, which is paradise on earth, become an oasis of peace,” he said. (PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel