He said that majority of people in the valley want peace. The home minister had been replying to questions with utmost caution of vocabulary.
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However, Mehbooba was combative, saying, “What will they tell me?” The party conveyed nearly 10 days ago to the Centre its concerns over losing ground and support due to the unrest in the Valley- the region that voted so decisively for the PDP. He said all those who met him during his two-day visit were keen for return of peace and normalcy.
And just as suddenly also said: “Okay, thank you, now you can have a cup of tea”, signalling that the press conference had ended.
At the same time, she said she supported action against those security personnel who were involved in the killing of a lecturer in the Khrew area of Pulwama district earlier this month. “I support it”, Mehbooba said. She nevertheless clarified, in response to a journalist’s question, that 95% of the population in Kashmir was in favour of “seeking a peaceful resolution to the issues”. His death triggered a violence that has left 68 people dead and at least 10,000 injured.
“The agitation in 2010 was about human rights violations. More than 4,500 security personnel have been injured so far”, he said. “They want our children to get killed, get blinded, ” she added.
Rajnath said that the government is trying to find a solution to the problem and that their understanding of the situation must not be questioned.
Mehbooba said both the state and the Centre are concerned about the killings in the valley.
“We see future of Kashmiri children with that of Indian children.Children are children”.
She added, “People have come onto the roads”.
Mr Singh also expressed extreme sadness at the situation in Kashmir and appealed to locals to not play with the future of Kashmir’s youth. Even as Rajnath Singh repeatedly tried to calm her by tapping her, Mehbooba underscored that “Violent means have no place anywhere in the world” and “if you want to defame an issue, you resort to violence”.
The home minister also urged people to identify those “fanning trouble”, hinting at what the government calls elements backed by Pakistan to instigate people to attack security forces. Mehbooba said no solution can be found from stone pelting and attacking security camps.
The minister extended an open invitation to all “who believe in Kashmiriyat, insaniyat and jamhooriyat”, expressing his willingness to talk with those who have faith in the spirit of Kashmir, humaneness and democracy.Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior officials, flew in by a special plane into the technical area of the Srinagar global airport around 11.35 a.m.
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During his two-day stay at the Nehru Guest House in Srinagar, the Minister held over ten meetings yesterday with a wide spectrum of political parties and chaired a meeting of senior officers of security agencies and the State Government to review the security situation in the Kashmir Valley.
