25 December 2004	Saturday	12 Ziqa'ad 1425

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NEW DELHI, Dec 24: India has said that the overall situation in the Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly in recent days, indicating that New Delhi's standard allegations of cross-border infiltration against Islamabad may not be an important factor at last in the foreign secretaries' talks starting in Islamabad on Monday.

In its year-end review of the security situation, the Indian home ministry said on Friday: "Overall security scenario has improved significantly. The lower level of violence has resulted in revival of tourism giving a major boost to the economy.

"The Kashmir Valley saw the arrival of about 270,000 tourists up to September 2004, the highest so far in 15 years...," The ministry statement also pointed out that the Amarnath pilgrimage of Hindus who annually visit the heights of Pahlagam had gone incident-free this past summer. A record number of 400,000 pilgrims had made the journey, it said.

"With improvement in the security scenario, the government has decided to reduce troops in Jammu and Kashmir,"" the home ministry said. In a review of the security situation elsewhere it noted the return of 'normalcy' in Manipur, and a "cease fire and suspension of operations" in other parts of the north east, mainly involving the Naga rebels.

Talks with Maoist rebels in Hyderabad and moves to enact an anti-communalism law were the other highlights of 2004. The home ministry report also highlighted what it said was its liberalisation of visa policy for certain categories of Pakistanis.

They include accredited journalists, academicians and professors, medical doctors accompanying patients for treatment at leading/reputed hospitals in India, and individuals invited to participate in seminars and cultural and literary functions.

"These categories of persons are to be issued multiple-entry visa without prior reference and may also be exempted from police reporting. Heads of (Indian) mission have been empowered to use their discretion to grant permission to visit up to 12 places against the existing three places to the above categories of Pakistan nationals." All Pakistan nationals above the age of 65 are exempted from 'police reporting'.