SRINAGAR, 25 May 2006 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday reached out to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, saying every Kashmiri should lead a life of dignity, even as he cautioned the security forces there would be “zero tolerance” of custodial deaths.

“Every resident of Jammu and Kashmir, no matter which region he or she is from, should lead a life of dignity free from oppression, poverty and fear,” the prime minister said in Urdu while addressing the second roundtable conference on the Kashmir issue.

The conference, held here for the first time after its inaugural edition in New Delhi, lost some of its sheen as the separatist Hurriyat Conference stayed away. The meeting was thus reduced to a mainstream-only show, bringing together 48 intellectuals and politicians from all three regions of the state.

Manmohan arrived yesterday morning in this fortified summer capital for his sixth visit in two years — the maximum by a prime minister in recent times.

With three suicide attacks in as many days, security was at an all-time high in this city. However, there were three powerful explosions in the state, injuring 17 people.

Manmohan made a strong pitch for building a prosperous state despite efforts by ‘some elements’ to subvert this endeavor.

“However, while expressing this wish, I have to say with great sorrow, that there are some elements within the state who do not wish this dream to become a reality. Their inhuman acts have cost many lives, destroyed many families,” the prime minister said.

In an indirect reference to secessionist forces in the state, Manmohan said their efforts would not succeed and every resident would be protected from terrorist acts and atrocities.

In his meetings with senior politicians, Manmohan has made no secret of his personal vision for Jammu and Kashmir — a deal that will involve giving the state wide-ranging autonomy within the Union of India and similar arrangements in those parts of Jammu and Kashmir that Pakistan administers.

That sentiment found a refrain at the roundtable conference when the prime minister emphasized there should be prosperity on both sides of the LoC that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. “We wish that those new highways which are opening up between the two areas on both sides should be used not only for travel or tourism but also trade and commerce,” he said.

Saying there were two dimensions to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir, Manmohan said this firstly comprised the relationship between Delhi and Srinagar and then between Delhi and Islamabad. “These two dimensions are of course different but each affects the other. In your exchange of ideas here, I want you keep this in mind.”

Spelling out the steps taken by his government to improve the situation in the state, Manmohan said the cases of all detainees, including those who had crossed over to Pakistan, were being reviewed. In addition, the status of Jammu Medical College was being raised to that of Delhi’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), while public health institutions were being strengthened.

Earlier, while addressing the Unified Command here, Manmohan urged the security forces in Kashmir to “be in control but unobtrusive.” “What we need in Kashmir is maximum security with minimum disruption of normal life,” the prime minister’s Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru quoted him as saying.

“It is possible and desirable to be firm and human, efficient and effective, in control but unobtrusive. There will be zero tolerance of custodial deaths,” Baru quoted the prime minister as saying.