J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed on Thursday chaired first meeting of the Unified Headquarters in Jammu to take stock of the prevailing security situation across the State. During the meeting Mufti stressed upon the need for adopting a humane approach while dealing with law and order situations and exercising zero tolerance towards human rights' violations.
Senior officers of the Udhampur-based Northern Command headquarters also listed urgent demands before the Chairman of the Unified Headquarters including notifying firing ranges in the State to enable them to carry out their routine training and practice exercises without compromising on their strike capabilities. Indian Army is awaiting formal nod of the State Government for past several months to notify the firing ranges in both the regions of the State.
The issue of firing in border areas from across the IB & loC and rehabilitation of border residents in safer zones also came up for thorough discussion during the meeting. The Chief Minister called for enhanced vigil and asked the administration to provide shelter and all basic facilities to the people displaced at the time of firing.
During the maiden meeting, the Chief Minister also sought cooperation from the Army, Police and the Civil Administration in creating a peaceful environment to enable the new Government to implement its agenda of good governance and development brought in for the people of the State.
"Without peace, the goals will be difficult to achieve," Mufti Sayeed stated while complimenting the security forces and the civil administration for their agility and coordination in bringing in a perceptible change on the ground and maintaining peace in the State. Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh was also present in the meeting, which was attended by the top brass of the Army, Police and the Civil Administration.
On an array of issues related to internal security and manning loC and the International Border and land-related issues, the Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to shortly convene a Civil-Military liaison (CMl) meeting to iron out and resolve all pending issues. During the meeting, the issue of use of modern technology and equipment for better surveillance was also discussed.