Mehbooba Mufti meets PM Modi, blames Pakistan for Kashmir unrest
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti blamed Pakistan on Saturday for trying the fuel tension in the Valley, which has been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last month.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti blamed Pakistan on Saturday for fuelling tension in the Valley, which has been on the boil since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last month.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, Mufti said the Kashmiri youth were attacking securitymen and police stations after being provoked by Pakistan and separatist leaders.
She appealed to the separatists for peace, saying they “will have to help us save the lives” of the youth.
Sixty-nine people have been killed and thousands injured in the Valley in clashes after Wani’s death on July 8.
Pakistani leaders have criticised India over the unrest. For its part, India has accused Islamabad of interfering in New Delhi’s internal affairs and stoking tension in Kashmir.
“I want to tell Pakistan, if it has any sympathy for Kashmiris, it shouldn’t provoke them to attack police stations -- and save youth from being killed,” the chief minister said.
Mufti’s meeting with Modi came just two days after home minister Rajnath Singh visited to Srinagar and met the CM, among others, over law and order.
After Saturday’s meeting, Mufti said she was happy that the central government was reaching out to all stakeholders to restore peace in the militancy-hit state. “I have high hopes from the Prime Minister.”
As Mufti visited the national capital, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, moderate separatist leader and the Valley’s chief cleric, was arrested in the morning and lodged in a jail.
An all-party delegation will visit Kashmir in the first week of September in stepped up efforts by the government to end a wave of violence that claimed the life of another youth on Friday.
Both the Centre and the state government are hoping that the situation will improve in view of the approaching Eid-ul-Zuha next month.
The thinking in the government is that the visit of leaders of different political parties might help in soothing the nerves and return of normalcy in the Valley as had happened in 2010.
Get Current Updates on Election 2024, India News, Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.