Govt mulls central hostage policy

In the wake of the recent abduction of a collector by naxals in Chhattisgarh, home minister P Chidambaram has said the UPA will consider evolving a central hostage policy for the country.

In the wake of the recent abduction of a collector by naxals in Chhattisgarh, home minister P Chidambaram has said the UPA will consider evolving a central hostage policy for the country. Replying to a short notice question in Rajya Sabha, Chidambaram said he has asked officials in the ministry to raise the issue with states to find out if there was a need for such a policy. He, however, said that calls for not involving mediators are impractical.

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"Even in Chhattisgarh, mediators were involved. Mediation and negotiation are a part of every country's hostage policy."

he cited the example of Israel releasing 1,000 soldiers for one prisoner in October 2011 to drive home his point. Chidambaram said dealing with issues of terrorism and insurgency was the joint responsibility of the state and Centre. HTC, delhi