Govt. keeping ‘fingers crossed’ on Kashmir issue

NEW DELHI - Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir passed through a difficult time last year, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the government was keeping its ‘fingers crossed’ this summer while remaining vigilant.

Reply to the Lok Sabha Debate on Motion of Thanks on President’s Address, Dr. Singh said: “With regard to Jammu and Kashmir, we have passed through a difficult time, particularly the last summer. But since then the situation has improved. But we keep our fingers crossed.”

“Come this summer, I hope we will be vigilant enough to ensure that the unfortunate events that took place in the last summer in parts of Jammu and Kashmir do not take place. Our approach to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir is that we will give no quarters to secessionist elements,” he added.

Further assuring all support to the Jammu and Kashmir Government, Dr. Singh said: “We will do everything in our power to strengthen the hands of the State Government to provide a fairer deal to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, to provide avenues for gainful employment. I have appointed a Group under Dr. Rangarajan to workout a plan for providing 50,000 to one lakh jobs to the Kashmiri youth. That Report is now nearly ready.”

“I hope that once we start implementing them, these are precise proposals where the Indian industry commits itself to employ Kashmiri youth and if we can create jobs for a lakh of students from the Valley and other parts of Kashmir, I dare say it will change the mental make-up or the mindset of the Kashmiri people. It is an obligation of all the political parties to do nothing which will disturb the peaceful atmosphere that now prevails in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added. (ANI)