Srinagar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in Srinagar that his government was committed to push forward the negotiation process and was ready to “talk to all those people who are against terror and violence”.

While he said security forces have been given strict instruction to respect rights of the civilian population, in a snub to the J-K government, he pointed to lack of power supply, drinking water, roads and ration shops in Srinagar.

Singh was speaking at the annual convocation of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). During his two-day visit to the state, Singh will meet a delegation of mainstream political parties and chair a high-level meeting to review developmental projects.

“We are committed to push forward the negotiation process and we are ready to talk to all those people who are against terror and violence,” Singh said. But he did not make any reference to the Centre’s dialogue process with the separatists.

Reacting to the PM’s speech, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the Hurriyat moderates, said they were disappointed. “We expected the PM to deliver on the political front. We expected him to start a bold political initiative on Kashmir. But nothing of that sort has come through,” he said.

With the recent fake encounter on the Line of Control creating ripples in the Valley, Singh said: “I am aware of some complaints related to human rights. On this issue, the government policy is to protect human rights of the people even when dealing with terrorism. Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been strictly instructed to respect the rights of civilians. We will act to remove any deficiency in the implementation of these instructions.”

“There are a handful of people who do not want any political process for empowering people to succeed. This is the reason that attempts to disturb the lives of people in the Valley still continue from across the Line of Control,” he said.

“Whenever such incidents happen, they spread terror and cause disruption in the life of people. Our security agencies are forced to act in the wake of such incidents. During the process, sometimes innocent civilians have to suffer, but whenever such incidents happen, it becomes necessary to act against those responsible for them.”

The J-K government had to face an embarrassing situation when independent legislator Engineer Rashid and his supporters protested outside the venue. They were arrested by the police hours before Singh’s arrival.

The bigger snub came during PM’s convocation speech. “I was told that in Srinagar and other cities, people face problems related to power supply, drinking water, roads and ration shops. I am hopeful that the state government will look into these complaints,” he said.

The thrust of the Prime Minister’s speech, however, was youth empowerment. Referring to his meeting with Shah Faisal, the Kashmiri doctor who topped the Civil Services examination this year, Singh said that he expected more such accomplishments from Kashmiri youth.


“Dr Faisal has made the entire state proud. He received all his education in institutions of Jammu and Kashmir and his success is proof that educational institutions in the state are no less than other institutions of our country,” he said.

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