In a shot in the arm for Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Defence Minister George Fernandes today ruled out the possibility of imposition of Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir. Since the election dates had been announced, he said, ‘‘We should now hope that the elections are conducted properly and that there are no efforts to sabotage the process’’. Fernandes was addressing troops in Shariefabad, after returning from Siachen. He also rejected visits by foreign observers, saying, ‘‘We have given sacrifices to save the democratic tradition of this country. We have an election commission which is competent enough and, in fact, can teach (the art of conducting polls) to the world as well’’. He, however, added there was no ban on the international media and the staff of various embassies from visiting the Valley. Fernandes also justified the troop build-up on the borders, saying, ‘‘There is no war (with Pakistan) only because the troops stand on the borders’’. On de-escalation, he said, ‘‘It is a big issue. One can talk of de-escalation only when the overall situation normalises’’. On the status of infiltration, Fernandes said it has its ups and downs. ‘‘There were three infiltration attempts last week,’’ he said.
