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New Delhi: India's
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Sunday targeted Pakistan for its
help to terrorists infiltrating from across the border into the
country.
"We have information that Pakistan is helping terrorists to enter
our territory. We have intelligence inputs. But we are on an
alert," Shinde said here on the sidelines of an event to mark the
police commemoration day.
He said his ministry had issued directions to all security forces
to be extra vigilant during the festival season and ensure peace.
"I also appeal to people to be extra careful," he said soon after
laying a wreath at a memorial for central and state police forces.
Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Shinde said security forces cannot
be withdrawn from the state till peace returns entirely.
"When I was in Jammu and Kashmir, locals asked me to remove the
army from the Kashmir valley. But I told them that we can't do so
till the situation is peaceful. I will remove the army when the
situation is peaceful," he said.
Shinde was in the border state about a week ago on a security
review tour when he met central security forces personnel posted
there, apart from the civilian administration, to get apprised of
the prevailing situation there.
The home minister also said he had visited the India-Bangladesh
border Saturday and assessed the situation there.
Earlier, attending the police commemoration day ceremony, Shinde
paid tributes to 575 security personnel who laid down their lives
in the line of duty in the last one year.
While 383 personnel from state police forces were killed between
Sep 1, 2011 and Aug 31 this year, 192 men from the central armed
police forces died during the same period.
This is the first time ever that all central police forces came
together to observe the police commemoration day to remember their
fallen comrades.
But, the government is yet to accord the status of 'martyrs' to
the central police and paramilitary personnel who die in the line
of duty, on a par with the defence forces personnel, though both
fight insurgencies within the country.
On May 8 this year, Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh had
told parliament in a written reply to questions from Lok Sabha
members that "no consensus" could emerge on according 'martyr'
status to central police and paramilitary personnel who die in
line of duty, when it was discussed by a committee of secretaries
last year.
"The matter (for giving status of martyr to paramilitary
personnel) was considered by the committee of secretaries on Sep
14, 2011 but there was no consensus on the issue," Singh had then
said.
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