Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday made a passionate appeal to Hurriyat Conference and other separatists and mainstream opposition parties to supplement its efforts aimed at bringing about peace and restoring normalcy in the State.
This came amid seething anger in the Kashmir Valley where about 17 protesters have been killed in security forces’ firings and other actions during past two days in the aftermath of the killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, the new age poster-boy of militancy, in an encounter with troops.
The State Cabinet held an emergency meeting in Srinagar with Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, in chair to discuss the alarming situation. Director General of Police, K. Rajendra Kumar, briefed the meeting on the prevailing ground situation. He was away on a private visit to home town Hyderabad but rushed back to Srinagar to oversee the law and order situation following a phone call from the Chief Minister.
Minister for education and chief spokesman of the PDP-BJP government, Naeem Akhter, while briefing reporters on the deliberations of the meeting said, “The Cabinet appealed to all political forces who have expressed concern for people's lives be it National Conference, Congress, CPI(M) or other components of the mainstream or those people who are not in the mainstream...those who are really concerned as much we are concerned which includes leaders from the Hurriyat....We appeal to them that if they want peace in the State and steps taken by government for saving lives of people succeed, we need their support also.
The Cabinet expressed deep grief and anguish over the loss of precious human lives during the prevailing law and order situation in Kashmir Valley and called upon various shades of political opinion, who have expressed concern for people's lives, to help restore calm, he said. “The Cabinet expressed grief and anguish over the loss of precious human lives and made a fervent appeal to all shades of political opinion, including the mainstream and the separatists, to help restore calm as the violence has neither served any purpose in the past nor is it going to do so in the prevailing circumstances,” he reiterated.
Akhtar said the Cabinet also urged civil society and parents to counsel the youth against indulging in violent protests and targeting public and private properties and police and security forces installations. “The parents of young children also have a responsibility to keep an eye on their wards,” he said adding; “If you see the footages, you see small kids who do not know why but are still having stones in their hands,” he said.
He said the Cabinet also asked the police and the security forces to exercise restraint to prevent loss of human lives, as any fatal retaliatory action only leads to a vicious cycle of death and destruction. He said the complaints of disproportionate use of force are being looked into to restore public confidence in the law and order setup. He said while the loss of property can be compensated, the loss of lives cannot be compensated.
Replying to questions, Mr Akhtar said the government is seized of its responsibilities. He said it was resolved in the Cabinet that all steps will be taken for ensuring safety of life and property of the people. He cautioned the people, especially the youth, against what he alleged are the machinations of the forces who want to add fuel to the fire for their vested political interests.
He said there were a number of attacks on police stations and security forces’ camps which forced the law enforcement agencies to retaliate. “Even today when I’m talking to you, a cop was pushed into river Jhelum near Sangam along with his vehicle by a violent mob resulting in his on the spot death,” he said and added that the mobs set ablaze a number of police stations and police vehicles and tried to overrun security forces camps at various places. “I urge the youth not take protests to a level where the forces are forced to use their weapons in retaliation," he said. He said if any of the injured requires to be taken out of the state for treatment, the state government will bear the expenses.
Mr Akhtar said the Cabinet was also apprised about the adequate supply of drugs and other requirements in the hospitals and it was also decided that any injured person, requiring treatment outside the State, shall be provided such facility by the Government.
The Cabinet, he said, also desired to request different Airlines to provide additional flights for taking out the stranded tourists. The Cabinet also said efforts are being made to resume the Amarnath Yatra so that the people can undertake the pilgrimage to the cave-shrine in Pahalgam hills smoothly.
When asked if the Mehbooba Mufti government will quit as her party PDP while in opposition had made a similar demand when Omar Abdullah was the Chief Minister during the 2010 summer unrest in the Valley that left 120 persons dead, he left the press conference venue.
