Guwahati, June 10: Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi today reiterated that only negotiations with militant outfits and not use of force could bring an end to the insurgency problem afflicting the north eastern region. "It is only through talks and negotiations that we can find a permanent solution to insurgency so as to bring about peace and stability in the region,” Joshi said at the inauguration of the seventh annual north east commonwealth parliamentary conference here.

Stating that development and insurgency were inseparable issues, the Speaker said that the Centre was extending attractive economic packages to the NE and the growing interest in the area shows the special place this sensitive region occupies in the nation's consciousness.
Stressing on the need to have a review of the problems of the region, Joshi said this was needed to highlight the fundamentals that guide the future policies in the area.

"Let us hope that the problem of insurgency will be rooted out and the n e states will once again become a place of peace and prosperity,” he added.
Bureau Report