Kashmir situation improved due to government efforts: PM
By IANSTuesday, February 1, 2011
NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which witnessed violent protests last year, had improved vastly in the last four months due to measures taken by the state and central governments.
“The situation in the state has vastly improved in the last four months following the all-party visit there, the eight-point programme announced by the government and the measures taken by the state and central governments,” Manmohan Singh said at the chief ministers’ conference on internal security here.
He said the border state, which got into a vicious cycle of violence and protests, particularly from stone-pelters last year, had taken a turn for the better.
The efforts of three interloculors led by senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar in changing the political discourse on Jammu and Kashmir had an effect.
The prime minister said the security forces had shown a lot of restraint during the stone-pelting protests in view of youngsters being involved in those incidents.
Over 100 people were killed during clashes with security forces in the middle of Kashmir last year.
Manmohan Singh said the home ministry had prepared a standard operating procedure to ensure non-lethal techniques are adopted by security forces, which would be shared with the chief ministers.
