Search the Internet          Tips

Centre wants minimum army presence
for security during J&K poll

Central paramilitary forces along with the state police would be the 'face' of security during the forthcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly election, say senior security officers in Delhi.

As part of this strategy, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani has handpicked a senior police officer to liaise with the paramilitary forces during the September-October poll, which is fast turning out to be a litmus test for both India and Pakistan.

Special Director General of the Border Security Forces S C Agarwal was last week named as the coordinator, home ministry sources said.

At present, the entire security in the state is coordinated by the Unified Command, headed by the chief minister, with the army's role being paramount.

However, with the eyes of the international community on Kashmir, the home ministry believes that it is not very wise to employ the army for key election duties.

"We would like to keep the army's visibility during the elections to the bare minimum," a senior officer said.

He hinted that even the Rashtriya Rifles, which is technically a paramilitary force, but draws its personnel from the ranks of the army, would not be as active as it has been in past elections.

Agarwal's appointment is a key indicator of the fact that Advani has taken charge of the Kashmir polls with the loser being Brajesh Mishra in the Prime Minister's Office.

So far, Mishra, along with A S Dulat, Officer on Special Duty in the PMO, and other key officials in PMO, had been working on winning over the separatists. Dulat is a former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing.

This group was working on the premise that if the separatists, especially the Hurriyat Conference, join the electoral process, the violence in the state would come down.

But their efforts are yet to bear fruit.

On the other hand, Advani believes that winning over separatists would not guarantee peaceful conduct of the election and that India needs to put in place a strong security apparatus to thwart any terrorist effort to disrupt the poll.

The home minister believes that India need not kneel before the separatists to seek their participation in elections.

The deputy prime minister's Kashmir initiative is only an extension of his already increasing hold over key issues of governance.

The appointment of Agarwal also makes it clear that the Centre is opposed to sending any more soldiers to the state.

Agarwal has already begun consultations among the various security related agencies in the state and is in regular touch with intelligence and home ministry officials, sources said.

He is expected to have about 150 companies of paramilitary forces under him, in addition to the existing forces in the state, during the polls.

According to information available as of now, the Election Commission intends to hold the J&K elections in four phases. The first phase would be in early September and the final in October.

More reports on Jammu and Kashmir

Terrorism Strikes Jammu: Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report