PM asks militant groups to come forward for talks

quot;Other groups which have chosen the path of violence should also realise that the people of Jamp;K want peace in the state. It is futile for them to continue on the path of violence. They should come forward for talks with the government for redressal of their grievances,quot; Vajpayee, who led a delegation of major political parties to Kashmir yesterday, said.

He was sure, Vajpayee said, that the House was one with him, assuring the people of Jamp;K and the nation that quot;we will not yield to terrorismquot;.

quot;I may add that while the fight against terrorism will continue, India will not give up efforts for restoration of peace in Jamp;K,quot; the Prime Minister said.

Stating that he visited Pahalgam and Srinagar yesterday to study the situation arising out of recent killings in Jamp;K, Vajpayee thanked political leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Somnath Chatterjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav, K Yerrannaidu and Ghulam Nabi Azad for joining him at such a short notice.

Vajpayee told the members that their visit was intended to assure the people of the state that the entire nation stood by them at this hour and to share their grief over the inhuman behaviour of the terrorists against innocent people.

The briefing given to them by the chief of Unified Command and Security Forces made it clear that perpetrators of these heinous crimes were foreigners, the Prime Minister said, adding arms and ammunition recovered from them clearly established their links with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba. Delegations of locals as well as pilgrims met him and spoke about the difficulties they were facing in the wake of killings, he said.

However, agitated Congress and some other Opposition members walked out of the Lok Sabha, protesting the Government8217;s failure to institute a judicial inquiry into security lapses leading to the massacres.

Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, along with RJD and RPI members trooped out of the House, expressing unhappiness over Vajpayee8217;s statement that Government would order a judicial inquiry if required.

Vajpayee told the members that the state government had already ordered an executive inquiry to probe any security failures.

quot;It does not seem that serious security lapses have taken place. The state government has already ordered an executive inquiry. We have no objection to hold any further probe and if necessary, can order a judicial inquiry,quot; the Prime Minister said.

At the same time, he said it would be very difficult to make fool-proof security arrangements for Amarnath pilgrims as the atmosphere at Pahalgam was one of a fair.

Earlier, after much wrangling and heated exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches on whether the Leader of the Opposition could seek clarifications after a statement by the Prime Minister, Gandhi said Vajpayee8217;s statement in Srinagar yesterday that there were no serious security lapses indicated there were indeed failures.

Meanwhile, in Bhopal, the Congress, blamed Vajpayee and Dr Farooq Abdullah for the recent massacres, saying that the security was lax.

Addressing mediapersons, Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi said after the Centre had announced its decision to hold talks with Hizbul, it should have realised that the other 20 militant groups operating in Kashmir would create obstacles.

He said according to information available with him, the security this year for pilgrims going on the Amarnath yatra was quot;laxquot; compared to the past.

quot;Instead of tightening security for the Amarnath pilgrrims, the Centre and the Jamp;K government had made very lax arrangements for them,quot; Jogi said.

He said it was because of this inadequate security that militants had succeeded in killing a number of pilgrims at Pahalgam where the Army has a base camp.

Jogi also reiterated the Congress demand for setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to go into all aspects of the circumstances that led to the resignation of former Union law minister Ram Jethmalanai.

The Government has already rejected the demand.

On Chattisgarh, Jogi said party president Sonia Gandhi would decide on who would become the first Chief Minister of the new state after it was carved out from Madhya Pradesh.