Jammu: Welcoming the foreign secretary-level
dialogue between India and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir
Governor N N Vohra on Monday said the state is slowly coming back
to peace and normalcy.
"To restore complete peace and normalcy in Jammu and
Kashmir, it is essential that process of (Indo-Pak) dialogue
be resumed...The state government welcomes the projected
discussions between the Foreign Secretaries of Indian and
Pakistan," Vohra told a joint session of the state assembly
ahead of the budget session.
"After more than two decades of militancy-related
violence and terrorism, there is a palpable yearning for peace
across all sections of the society in the state," he said.
There is significant reduction in terrorist incidents in
the state in 2009, Vohra said.
"There were 499 terror incidents last year as compared to
708 in 2008 and 1,092 in 2007," he said.
"This trend clearly shows that situation is improving
significantly...It indicates a return of normalcy in the
state," he said.
However, there is an increase in infiltration attempts
into the state from across the LoC and International Border
during 2009 and in the month of January 2010, Vohra said.
While effective initiatives has been taken against
militants, the government is clear that all the action taken
should be in conformity with the law, he said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 22, 2010, 18:31