Winding up his two-day visit of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on April 26 promised all help for the state’s all-round development. Dr. Singh also applauded the efforts of the people of the state for their struggle to strengthen democracy1. Earlier on April 23, the state government announced that it was providing 926 Class-IV posts to the family members of the civilians killed in militancy-related incidents in J and K2. Separately, the state government has also directed all cable operators in the Kashmir valley to stop airing Pakistan-based TV channels like PTV, GEO, Aaj, and ARY3.

Meanwhile, Indian Express has reported that several Pakistan-based militant groups held a conference titled ‘Azam-i-Jihad’ (Resolve for Jihad) in Muzaffarabad in PoK on April 21 and reiterated their commitment to revive ‘jihad’ in Kashmir. The conference was attended by over 1,000 militants belonging to the United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin, Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and leaders of PoK-based Hurriyat factions. Salahuddin called upon the PoK Government to pursue an “independent policy” on Kashmir and set aside “75 per cent of its budget for jihad in Kashmir and train its youth on war footing” for the purpose4.

• 1. “All help for J&K development, says Manmohan,” The Hindu, April 27, 2008, at http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/27/stories/2008042757820100.htm
• 2. “926 Class-IV posts for militancy victims,” Daily Excelsior, April 26, 2008, at http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/08apr26/news.htm#10
• 3. “Valley's cable operators asked to stop airing Pak channels,” Kashmir Times, April 24, 2008, at http://kashmirtimes.com/news1.htm
• 4. “Militants meet in PoK again, vow to pursue jihad in J-K,” Indian Express, April 23, 2008, at http://www.indianexpress.com/story/300316.html