SRINAGAR, Nov 3: Occupied Kashmir’s new leader, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, vowed on Sunday to push ahead with liberal reforms to bring a “healing touch” to the violence-scarred area, despite unabated violence.

Mr Sayeed, a former Indian home minister, was sworn in on Saturday just hours after his home was attacked by suspected freedom fighters. Twenty-six people were killed around the state on his first day in office.

“Such incidents will continue,” he told his first news conference, but they “will not change the programme of my government to provide a healing touch to the people and giving a new image to the security forces.”

Mr Sayeed, who in the past has called for the release of all political leaders held without charges, said: “The process of releasing the people would start soon.” Three of the seven executive members of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, are in jail: Yasin Malik, Syed Ali Geelani and Sheikh Aziz.

Mr Sayeed, who leads the provincial People’s Democratic Party, heads a coalition with India’s main opposition Congress. The parties together swept the long-ruling National Conference out of power in a violence-plagued four-round election that ended on Oct 8.

Asked about talks among India, Pakistan and Kashmiris to resolve the dispute, Mr Sayeed said: “My endeavour would be to kickstart an unconditional dialogue between New Delhi and the people of Kashmir.”

While in the opposition, Sayeed was critical of Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir, accusing them of human rights violations. “In my government everyone will be accountable,” Sayeed pledged. “I will not compromise on accountability and corruption-free governance.”

He said there would be no compromise on disbanding the counter-insurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) police, dreaded by many Kashmiris for its alleged rights abuses.

“There is no question of back-tracking over this issue,” he said. Sayeed’s calls to disband the SOG, made during the campaign, have already been criticized by segments of the Indian security establishment.

The new chief minister said he was to drive home human rights concerns as the head of the Unified Command, which directs Kashmir’s counter-insurgency policy. The body, which includes top Indian security officials, was formerly led by Sayeed’s predecessor, Farooq Abdullah.—AFP