Jalandhar, August 19
The Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, today declared that the Central Government was contemplating a comprehensive plan to provide maximum relief to those Punjab police officials, who are facing trial in different courts for alleged excesses committed during the decade-long terrorism is the state, within the framework of the Constitution.

He ruled out the possibility of granting general amnesty to those terrorists, who had shifted to western countries during militancy under the alleged threat of elimination by the security forces.

Mr Advani, who was speaking at the 86th Shaheed Parivar Fund function organised by the Hind Samachar group of newspapers here today, attributed the prevailing peaceful situation in the state to those Punjab police officials, who had laid down their lives to maintain unity and integrity of the country.

“I am fully seized of the matter and have already discussed it with the Law Minister to provide relief to these police officials, who are facing trial in different courts. The Home Ministry has prepared a detailed report, which will be presented before the Cabinet very soon,” Mr Advani said.

He was of the opinion that failure on the part of the Central Government to protect their interests might have serious repercussions on the morale of security forces, including the Border Security Force and paramilitary troops, who are still fighting insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir and in the North East.

The Zinda Shaheed Police Officers Welfare Association, has been demanding the withdrawal of permission granted to the CBI for their prosecution in cases of alleged excesses during militancy and grant of general amnesty to them since they had fought a proxy war on behalf of the nation.

Interestingly, some of the police officers belonging to the association had recently demanded that either cases against them be withdrawn or their superiors, including the then SSPs, who had directed them to conduct genuine “encounters” and the then DCs, SDMs who had certified “encounters” as genuine should be booked.

Regarding the recent spurt in fresh attacks on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists in the aftermath of the Agra summit, the Home Minister, in a clear warning to Pakistan, asserted that the Indian Government would root out militancy with its full might and the invitation for talks to the Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to resolve all bilateral issues by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee should not be taken as their weakness to deal insurgency.

“Infact, we are fighting the proxy war not only in Kashmir but in all parts of the country which is evident from the fact that we have busted 101 ISI modules and had arrested hundreds of ISI agents in the past three years,” he said.

The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said the decision to accept Partition by the then political leadership of the country had virtually placed them at disadvantage. He advocated that terrorism should be dealt with firmly in the valley.

The Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, criticised the state government for allowing the entry of KCF chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal and Khalistan ideologue Jagjit Singh Chohan in Punjab, to suit its political interests in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

“The way these terrorists have been allowed to move freely in the state has once again created fear in the minds of people that those black days of terrorism may return soon. On the other hand, those brave police officers, who had successfully tackled militancy, were implicated in so many cases. The matter needs urgent attention of the central government,” Capt Amarinder Singh contended.

The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal refuted allegations that the state government was supporting the cause of terrorists asked: Why these politicians are making statements in the name of terrorists and decade long terrorism, particularly on the eve of the elections, which had already been eliminated. One thing I can assure to the countrymen that terrorism can not return in Punjab.

It is my primary duty to maintain peace in the state. The media should also refrain itself from giving so much coverage to these terrorists.”

Meanwhile, Mr Avinash Chopra, Joint Editor, Hind Samachar group of newspapers, presented a cheque for Rs 5.45 crore for the Gujarat Earthquake Relief Fund to Mr Advani.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Mr Suresh Prabhu, Mr Shanta Kumar, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, all Union Ministers, General Secretary of the CPI Joginder Dyal and Punjab Health Minister Dr Baldev Raj Chawla.