Kashmir To Replace Paramilitary Soldiers With Police in 10 Days

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, July 1: Chairing the Unified Command meeting here Wednesday afternoon, pro-India Chief Minister of Kashmir Omar Abdullah said that the deployment plan of the police and paramilitary forces has to be re-worked as per the present situation which he asserted is a law and order situation and not a militancy situation as was in the 1990s.

He said that in the changed scenario, the police could be better equipped and trained to deal with law and order situations and as such a change in mindset of the force is also required. The Chief Minister asked the Director General of Police, CRPF and others concerned, to formulate an effective plan in this regard within 10 days.

Abdullah also directed for placement of magistrates in every district, adding that for dealing with law and order situation, police should accompany the magistrate. No law and order situation or protests should be dealt with, without the presence of a magistrate, he emphasized.

The Chief Minister also called for formulation of Citizens Advisory Committees in every district and directed the Deputy Commissioners to flag this issue for immediate implementation. This, he said, would help to develop constant rapport between the citizens and the administration and avoid misunderstandings that usually occur between administration and the public on sensitive issues relating to maintenance of law and order.

The Unified Command meeting was attended by top police, army, paramilitary and civil officials.

On the continuous strikes in Kashmir, the chief minister said, "Time has come for people connected with the tourism sector to ponder over the fact that because of strike politics, the common Kashmiri is continuously suffering and deprived of his bread and butter and this negative tendency has given nothing to him".

He said everybody regrets that tourism in Kashmir, that once remained the only hub of tourists, today, in spite of government efforts being made to attract tourists to Kashmir, is being ruined by day-to-day hartals and stray protests created by vested interests, which make tourists flee from this paradise.

He said during the last several years, heavy losses have been inflicted on this industry which was once the economic edifice of people connected with this trade.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.