No talks can take place with pre-conditions: Union Home Secy

Team Udayavani, Aug 31, 2017, 9:11 AM IST

New Delhi :  Talks with separatists in Jammu and Kashmir are a possibility but these have to take place without any conditions, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said today. Mehrishi, who is demitting office tomorrow, also refused to blame the Haryana government for its alleged failure in handling the law-and-order situation after the conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief saying it was not proper to judge any situation sitting in Delhi as law and order is a “live and dynamic situation”.

On the possibility of talks with the separatists, he said Home Minister Rajnath Singh has made it clear “many, many times” that the central government was open for dialogue in Kashmir. “We want to talk,” he said. “I don’t think that any talks can take place with pre- conditions,” Mehrishi told PTI in an interview while replying to a question on whether the Centre was inclined to hold talks with the separatists in Jammu and Kashmir without any conditions.

He said there was “no doubt” that Pakistan has been sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir through various ways including funding militants. “Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism, Pakistan is ensuring infiltration to Kashmir and Pakistan is funding terrorism in Kashmir,” he said. Asked about the alleged alienation of Kashmiri youths, Mehrishi said alienation is a “concept of Delhi media” and the real issue for Kashmir is terrorism and radicalisation.

“Radicalisation and terrorism are the main issues, which we are dealing with. As one chief minister had said 95 per cent people in Kashmir want peace. The youths in Kashmir have the same aspiration, like any youth in rest of India, of good education, good job and a good life,” he said. The home secretary said the probe conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the terror funding to Kashmiri separatists has its desired impact and it has been reflected in the activities of separatists and stone throwers.

Referring to the ongoing NIA probe on terror funding, he said the agency was carrying out a “free and fair” investigation and it will be taken into its logical conclusion. “Action will be taken against all those who are found guilty as per law,” he said. Asked to comment on the recent violence in Haryana after the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Mehrishi said law and order situation is “live and dynamic situation” where administration and police deal with human beings and only a person in the field can make an assessment about a situation on how to handle it.

“It is neither advisable nor possible and it is foolhardy to judge handling of a situation sitting here in Delhi,” he said. “No officer wants a deterioration bad of law and order situation in his area. No chief minister wants deterioration of law and order his state,” he said. Asked about the recent stand-off between Indian and Chinese forces in Dokalam and Ladakh, the home secretary said the Indo Tibetan Border Police, which comes under the home ministry, is not deployed in Dokalam but in Ladakh only.

“But stand-off like situation in Ladakh keep happening. There was no extra ordinary situation,” he said. Asked about activities of alleged Hindu terrorism, he said terrorism should not be linked with any religion. “Terrorism is terrorism. It should not be linked with any religion. No religion allows terrorism. Those who indulges in terrorism in the name of religion is only bringing bad name to religion,” he said.