Ceasefire -- Pak has been positive so far, says Advani

Ceasefire -- Pak has been positive so far, says Advani
AJAY SURI

SILVASSA (DADAR & NAGAR HAVELI) DECEMBER 16: In the first such official acknowledgement from New Delhi, Union Home Minister L K Advani has said that Pakistan's response to the unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir has been ``satisfactory.'' And that it was this sense of ``overall satisfaction'' so far that had prompted the Government to aggressively push its agenda for peace in the troubled state.

Speaking to The Indian Express here today, Advani said: ``The Pakistan Government had dismissed the ceasefire as a public relations exercise but later, its Foreign Minister pressed upon the need for strengthening and stabilising the ceasefire. This is certainly a positive outcome.''

Earlier in the day, Advani was the chief guest at the raising of the first India Reserve Batallion here. The force will eventually replace the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which has a primary job to do in this picturesque industrial town.

Advani added that the Home Ministry was keeping a close tab on developments on the Kashmir front, in close coordination with other Government agencies. Pakistan's positive response was evident in the drop in militant attacks and in shelling and infiltration from across the border.

Sources close to the Minister said that if the current level of calm in the Valley remains unchanged, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is all set to extend the unilateral ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir. An announcement to this effect could very well come in the current session of Parliament itself.

Advani said that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will take up the matter in the next few days.

Advani, however, refused to say if the time was now ripe for an Indian response to Pakistan's overtures for bilateral talks which have been in limbo ever since the Kargil war.

But the Home Minister had a few harsh words for the Hurriyat Conference. ``Hurriyat,'' he said, ``is not the sole representative of the Kashmiri people. There are others too, like the Congress, National Conference, BJP and leaders from Ladakh. We will talk with all of them. We have already conveyed our view-point to the Hurriyat.''