Amidst snowballing controversy over defreezing of accounts of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, Union Minister of State for Home Shriparkash Jaiswal on Tuesday said the Central Bureau of Investigation was an independent agency and was playing a neutral role in the entire affair.

Jaiswal told media persons in Chandigarh that the CBI did what it thought was right in the case 

This is not about Bofors

On the phone tapping controversy involving Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh [Images], the minister said it will soon be known who was behind it. He accused opposition leaders of trying to politicise the issue by saying that their phones too were being tapped.

Who tapped Amar Singh's phone?

On Kashmir, Jaiswal said the Valley had never been so peaceful as it was now and this was evident from the record number of pilgrims undertaking the Amarnath Yatra [Images] this year. Besides, a large number of tourists also made a beeline to the Valley throughout the year, the minister said adding that things were rapidly changing in the state after the advent of the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.

He, however, added that this did not mean that problems plaguing the state had been solved. "This will take some time. We are committed to the state's development and the package for the state announced by the prime minister will help achieve that," Jaiswal said.

Complete Coverage: Bofors, The Smoking Gun