New Delhi, Dec 23: Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda today said the recent release of militants by PDP-led government was a step to ease the situation and the issue can only be resolved by negotiations between India and Pakistan. "The release of militants will only enable to ease out the situation one step and it is not going to solve the problem," he said here, adding India and Pakistan should initiate some reciprocal measures to address the issue effectively.

The former prime minister also urged the Centre to shed any reservations in providing adequate assistance to the newly elected government in the militancy-affected state. He later felicitated the four newly elected national panthers party MLA's including the state education minister Harsh Dev Singh at the function organised by the Delhi citizens committee.

Emphasising that terrorism was not confined to India alone, he said "unless the people have a confidence in the administration of the region it is difficult to root out the menace." Stressing the need for providing jobs to the educated unemployed youngsters in the valley, he said the new government should take measures to interact with the people to remove the alienation.

The function was attended among others by former union finance minister Manmohan Singh and Panthers Party president Bhim Singh. Bureau Report