HVK Archives: J&K affairs return Home to Advani
J&K affairs return Home to Advani - The Indian Express
Ajay Suri
()
May 24, 1998
Title: J&K affairs return Home to Advani
Author: Ajay Suri
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: May 24, 1998
A one-line declaration by Rashtrapati Bhavan giving charge of the
Jammu & Kashmir cell to the Union Home Ministry this morning
finally put an end to the speculation on who actually controlled
Kashmir affairs from New Delhi: L K Advani or Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said that "the President of
India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed that the
Prime Minister will relinquish the charge of the department of
Jammu and Kashmir affairs and L K Advani, Minister of Home
Affairs, will assume charge of the department=94.
The J&K Cell in the PMO was set up in November 1994 by P V
Narasimha Rao when he was the Prime Minister to avoid the em
embarrassment over public differences between his Home Minister S
B Chavan and Internal Security Minister Rajesh Pilot on Jammu and
Kashmir policy.
However, in the new government, Advani, especially after the
Pokharan blasts, has been taking an active role in Kashmir
affairs. His statement asking Pakistan to roll back its anti-
India policy and to take note of the "changed strategic
environment in the subcontinent" drew criticism from the US State
Department.
However, several Ministry officials have welcomed the decision.
As one of them said, "We were tired of riding two horses all
these years. The change in the chain of command, though rather
belated, has cleared the confusion clouding the functioning of
the cell and will help us take quicker decisions on Kashmir." The
move is also being seen as an endorsement of Advani's strategy of
dealing with Jammu and Kashmir. said, the Prime Minister was
requested to take a decision on giving back the J&K cell to Home
Ministry, but he did not.
The subsequent events seemed to have forced Vajpayee to hand over
the cell formally to Advani, say officials. With Advani taking an
increasingly threatening stance on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism
in Kashmir, followed by his calling a high-level meeting
(attended by, among others, the state Chief Minister and
Governor, the Army Chief and the Defence Minister) and announcing
formulation of an 'action plan' to tackle the problem, it became
clear that the Home Ministry - and not the PMO was in charge of
Kashmir affairs.
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