Infiltration has diminished: Manmohan Singh

Nainital, Sep 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir had diminished and his government was sincerely pursuing dialogue with Pakistan and the people of the state in its endeavour to give them a life of peace, dignity and self-respect.

"We see that levels of violence have come down during the past two years. Things have improved substantially since our coalition government came to office. However, deliberate attempts are being made to portray the picture as otherwise," he said addressing a conclave of Congress Chief Ministers here.

Dr Singh regretted that inciting people by utilising stray incidents and dubious means, involving the so-called moral and religious grounds, was taking place. Return to normalcy was being prevented by some elements by carrying out grenade attacks on tourists and innocent people.

"We are making al efforts to ensure all round development of the state. We have also initiated a dialogue with all sections and groups, particularly through the Round Table Conferences. We now have Working Groups looking into specific issues. The overall effort is to see that the people of Jammu and Kashmir lead a life of peace, dignity and self-respect," he added.

UNI