CCS reviews Internal Security in the country

New Delhi, June 16: The internal security situation in the country today came up for review at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security here in the backdrop of the recent upsurge in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir and Asom.

The CCS meeting -- chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and attended, among others, by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Finance Minister P Chidambaram -- was presented a situational overview by Army Chief General JJ Singh and the various heads of intelligence services.

Briefing mediapersons shortly after the meeting, Defence Minister Mukherjee said ''the internal security came up for review''.

The Army Chief had earlier in the week undertaken a visit to Jammu and Kashmir to study the situation in the state. Also, a high- level team, led by Home Secretary VK Duggal, is currently in Srinagar to analyse the situation as well as steps taken for the safety of the pilgrims to the holy Amarnath cave shrine.

Meanwhile, the north-eastern state of Asom has witnessed renewed violence even as the Government announced it would continue peace talks with the People's Consultative Group (PCG) -- a group of civil society leaders named by the ULFA to initiate peace talks with New Delhi.

At least 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in fighting in Asom over the past 15 years between the government and rebels from the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and another separatist group, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

The CCS had also approved a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Peru recently for Defence Cooperation, Minister Mukherjee further informed.

UNI