Burhan Wani would have been given a chance: Mehbooba Mufti

“I believe that had they known he was there, he would have been given one chance as the situation was fast improving in the state”, she said, adding her government didn’t get enough time to make arrangements to contain the post-encounter situation.

The National Conference ridiculed Mehbooba Mufti’s statement.

Mehbooba said her predecessor Omar Abdullah knew well in time about the hanging of Mohammad Afzal Guru and as such he made all the arrangements. Earlier J&K’s additional director-general of police (CID), S.M. Sahai, had on being asked if the Chief Minister knew about the operation beforehand told reporters here, “The Chief Minister, as home minister, is informed of all the activities”.

Intelligence sources in Delhi claim that the police came to know about it four hours later.

Clashes between security forces and protesters also erupted in at least a dozen places in Srinagar.

The people’s sacrifices should help to create an environment in Kashmir to resume the peace process started by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mufti Sayeed in 2002, she said.

Commenting on the unabated use of pellet guns that has left over a hundred people injured, mostly in eyes, the PDP chief said that the Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed his seriousness in considering other alternatives for crowd control. What can I say? “They are used but no one looks at them afterwards”, Mehbooba said.

The chief minister said there are some elements who create trouble in the Valley deliberately.

She said that the people of Kashmir have understood that they have gained nothing from strikes. “PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beig had said the Chief Minister was not aware of the encounter”.

“There is a need to take confidence building measures and to take that peace process ahead”, said Mehbooba. But youths moved to other areas and people took them inside (security forces) camps. “Just tell me whether a single inch of land was exchanged in all these wars…”, she said. “We’ll hold talks with the CM on with whom to talk and whom not to”. When nothing has been achieved there by gun, when nothing has been achieved in Syria, when we have also made so many sacrifices, what will we achieve by handing over guns to our children?

She called for a dialogue with all stakeholders including Pakistan to end the stalemate, but insisted that Pakistan should be told not to encourage the children of Kashmir to take up arms. “How can that be when she is the Chief Minister of the state heading a coalition government with the BJP?” asked Malhotra, adding that Mehbooba’s statement has to be regarded as the official stand of the Jammu and Kashmir government.