Demilitarisation of JK impossible: Governor
Jammu, Apr 4: Strongly rejecting the demand for the demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir, Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha today said troops cannot be pulled out as it is a border state.
''Demilitarization
cannot
take
place
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
just
as
there
can
be
no
demilitarisation
in
Punjab,
Rajasthan
or
any
other
border
state
of
the
country,''
the
Governor
said
in
his
presidential
address
at
a
National
Seminar
on
J
and
K
and
the
'Region:
Strategic
Challenges
and
Opportunities'
at
General
Zorawar
Singh
Auditorium,
University
of
Jammu.
''However,
the
present
additional
role
of
the
Army
in
terms
of
restoring
internal
peace
in
a
State
which
is
a
victim
of
terrorism,
can
cease
only
when
peace
is
fully
restored'',
he
said,
adding
that
troops
can
then
return
to
barracks
or
their
overall
strength
in
the
State
reduced
but
that
will
not
be
demilitarisation.
Gen
Sinha
said
in
a
participatory
and
vibrant
democracy
like
India,
issue
of
vital
interest
like
national
security
cannot
be
left
only
to
political
leaders
or
the
Government
and
the
civil
society
should
play
its
role
in
forming
an
enlightened
public
opinion.
He
said
the
seminar
should
also
deliberate
on
Kashmiriyat
and
the
role
of
media
in
proxy
war
like
situations.
He
said
the
media
while
discharging
its
obligations
of
reporting
events
objectively,
should
also
counter
the
propaganda
beamed
from
across
the
border
and
certain
elements
in
the
state
in
the
larger
national
interest.
The
Governor
said
any
solution
to
problems
in
the
state
should
be
''Jammu
and
Kashmir
centric
rather
than
Kashmir-centric''.
On
revival
of
Kashmiriyat,
the
Governor
said,
''This
glorious
ethos
holds
an
important
key
to
the
solution
of
the
vexed
problem.
Kashmir
is
embedded
in
soul
of
India
and
the
philosophy
of
Kashmiriyat
stands
for
amity,
tolerance
and
brotherhood.
This
great
philosophy
has
enabled
the
Indian
civilisation
to
survive
the
vicissitudes
of
history.''
''Clemenceau,
the
French
Prime
Minister
had
said
that
war
is
too
serious
a
matter
of
the
State
to
be
left
to
the
Generals.
Parodying
him
one
can
say
that
in
a
vibrant
democracy,
vital
national
and
security
issues
cannot
be
left
only
to
political
leaders,''
he
remarked.
Gen
Sinha
recalled
the
traumatic
experience
of
1962
war
with
China
and
said,
''We
found
our
belief
in
the
impregnability
of
the
Himalayas,
the
infallibility
of
our
foreign
policy
and
the
invincibility
of
our
Army,
shattered.''
He
said
one
India
failed
to
realise
that
foreign
policy
and
defence
were
two
sides
of
the
same
coin,
which
resulted
in
grave
mismatch
between
the
two.
''This
resulted
in
the
disaster
we
suffered
in
the
Himalayas,''
he
added.
Arunachal
Pradesh
Governor
S
K
Singh
inaugurated
the
seminar
while
GOC-in-C,
Northern
Command,
Lt
Gen
H
S
Panag
delivered
the
key-note
address.
Vice-Chancellor,
Jammu
University,
Prof
Amitabh
Mattoo
also
addressed
the
seminar,
jointly
organised
by
the
Centre
for
Strategic
Studies
in
collaboration
with
16
Corps.
Several
former
ambassadors,
serving
and
retired
generals,
journalists,
bureaucrats,
intellectuals
and
strategy
experts
from
various
parts
of
the
country
are
participating
in
the
two-day
national
seminar.
UNI