After 55 Deaths, Mehbooba Meets Rajnath to Discuss Kashmir Unrest

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti calls on the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on 2 June 2016. (Photo: IANS)

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on Monday, to discuss the situation in Kashmir.

Mehbooba left for Delhi on Monday afternoon to discuss the unrest in Kashmir in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces last month, PDP sources said.

After the meeting ended, Mufti said:

The people of Jammu and Kashmir are our people. Those who were killed are our children. I hope our Prime Minister will take it as an opportunity to protect Kashmiris. If talks can resolve the issue, Kashmir can be a bridge of friendship between India and Pakistan. If we want to make peace in the valley, then this is the right time. There is a need to take the same initiative of winning hearts of J&K people, which was taken during Vajpayee ji’s tenure.

Reacting to the development, opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Mehbooba has finally given up the “business as usual act”.

The Chief Minister arrived in Delhi a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the Kashmir situation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Rajnath Singh.

Earlier on Monday, opposition parties condemned the silence of the central government over the situation in Kashmir and asked the government to initiate a political process to normalise the situation and not treat it as a law and order issue.

As many as 55 persons, including two police personnel, have been killed and several thousand others injured in the violent protests since 9 July.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS.)