Patil meets jawans hurt in J-K IED blast

A week after 29 BSF personnel, including their family members, were killed in a land-mine blast near Srinagar, Home Minister Shivraj Patil visited Safdarjung hospital in the Capital to meet the injured jawans.

He assured them that all legal dues would be paid to them and their family members. Patil later said that infiltration had not stopped completely, and that the attack was aimed at sabotaging the peace process. ‘‘The attack might be to sabotage the peace process by elements who do not want peace to prevail between the two neighbours,’’ he said. According to BSF officials, interceptions had revealed that the Hizbul Mujahideen was responsible for the blast.

Patil said a single attack could not derail the peace process. Asked whether the Centre would take a pro-active stance after the attack, Patil said “a pro-active doesn’t only mean the use of force, it also means we will talk to them and build political and economic relations. We would also use force if necessary.’’ Asked if he would be visiting Kashmir, Patil said he would be visiting all places ‘‘with proper preparation and not just for the sake of it.’’