On Kashmiri Students’ Return, J&K Guv Says Some May Be ‘Insecure’

“They are returning because their colleges are shut. May be some feel insecure,” Satya Pal Malik said.

J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said on Wednesday, 20 February, there were attempts to communalise the situation after the Pulwama attack and that their fight is with Pakistan, and not Kashmiris.

In an interview with The Hindu, Malik denied any serious incidents of violence against Kashmiri students in the past few days. When asked why more than 300 Kashmiri students had returned to the Valley since the Pulwama attack, he said, “They are returning because their colleges are shut. May be some feel insecure. We have made arrangements for their stay and travel.”

“We appointed 11 liaison officers across the country for the welfare of Kashmiri students last year. Our fight is with Pakistan and terrorists. Some political leaders want to use the incident (of students fleeing) to fuel a communal divide. There were many attempts to deliberately stoke the issue but we didn’t let anything happen.”

Satya Pal Malik, as told to <i>The Hindu</i>

He told The Hindu that proper arrangements have been put in place to ensure the safe shifting of 'stranded' students from Jammu to Srinagar. Malik added that in the past four months, no one from the state had joined any terror group.

“All this noise is created by some vested interests to vitiate the atmosphere. I didn’t get any call from any Kashmiri student seeking help. Some leaders in Kashmir are asking the students to make such calls. Except from Dehradun, no student has returned from anywhere else,” the governor said.

(With inputs from The Hindu)