BHOPAL: Thirty-two days after Kashmir plunged into unrest in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by security forces on July 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reached out to the Valley saying, “The azaadi (freedom) every Indian has also belongs to every Kashmiri. We want same bright future for every youth in Kashmir.”
“Jo azaadi Bharat ko hai, wo Kashmir ko bhi hai. Hume isse vishwa ka swarg banana hai (The freedom Indians have, also belongs to Kashmiris. We need to make it a paradise on earth),” Mr Modi said while launching the fortnight-long celebrations of India’s 70th Independence Day at Bhabhra, the birthplace of revolutionary freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad, in Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh.
“Every Indian loves Kashmir and cherishes to visit the place at least once in his lifetime. But, a handful of people who have lost their relevance in the Valley are out to cause harm to the great Kashmiri tradition,” the PM observed.
“Boys, who should have books, laptops and cricket bats in their hands, are now handed stones,” he lamented. “Some people may restore their political relevance. But, what will be the future of these boys?” he questioned.
Centre, J&K finding solutions, says PM
Breaking his silence on the 32-day turmoil in Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advocated a path of “democracy and dialogue” to restore peace.
Invoking Atal Behari Vajpayee whose doctrine “insaniyat (humanity), jamuriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat” had succeeded dousing a similar unrest in the Valley a decade ago, he said his government believed in the former PM’s mantra as far as dealing with Kashmir was concerned.
Asserting that the Centre was for developmental solutions to Kashmir situation, he said both Jammu and Kashmir government led by Mehbooba Mufti and the Centre were busy finding out solutions to all problems through development.
“We want to strengthen every panchayat in Kashmir and provide employment to every youth (in the Valley),” he added.
National Conference, the main opposition party in Jammu and Kashmir, reacted cautiously to the Prime Minister’s statement saying it would wait for “action” and mere words were not enough.
