Taking tough action against anti-national activities: J&K govt

The Jammu and Kashmir government, which is under attack over raising of Pakistani flags and pro-Khalistan slogans in Jammu and Kashmir, today said the anti-national activities had been going on earlier also but the new dispensation is taking tough action to curb these.
"I want to put the facts straight. So far as the anti- national activities are concerned, they (separatists and some sections of sikhs) are doing it since long," Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh told reporters here.
He was responding when referred to repeated incidents of raising of Pakistani flags and pro-Pakistan slogans in Kashmir and pro-Khalistan slogans and appearance of posters of slain Khalistani militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Jammu. The state government has come under attack for allowing such activities.

"The question is whether the government is acting or not? We have acted. We arrested (Kashmiri separatist) Masarat Alam and put him behind bars. We have lodged FIRs against others. They are being tried. Law will take its own course," he said.
"So far as this issue (of appearance of Bhindranwale's posters and raising of pro-Khalistan slogans in Jammu) is concerned, we have filed FIRs against those involved," the Dy CM said.
Rejecting allegations that the PDP-BJP government had allowed pro-Khalistan programmes in Jammu, he said, "We did not do any programme on the government side. These programmes are happening in the Gurudwaras. They were doing some programmes during the day in connection with operation blue star and they were doing it routinely".

Referring to the violence witnessed in Jammu last week, Nirmal Singh said, "when this flared up, our priority was to cool down the tempers... We never wanted those elements, who wanted to vitiated the atmosphere and trying to divide the state on the same lines that used to happen in past, to succeed. That was our strategy."
He added, "We succeeded in that and we assure you that action will be taken against those involved and law will take its own course".
"We will never allow this to happen again. We cannot do it. It was taking an ugly turn, so our priority was to cool down the tempers. Ultimately we succeeded in that and now law will take its own course," he added.