Modi reaches out to Kashmir youth, appeals for peace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier on Tuesday, also visited Chandrashekhar Azad’s birthplace in the tribal-dominated Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh and paid rich tributes to the revolutionary leader.

Addressing a public meeting, the Prime Minister recalled that Mahatma Gandhi had given the call for the British to Quit India – this very day.

The Valley has been on the boil for over a month now following the killing a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani on July 8.

“Boys should be holding laptops, bats and balls in their hands, instead they are pelting stones each other”, said Prime Minister Narendra modi.

“Today, one feels pained to see that innocent youths have been handed stones”. Some peoples politics may go on but what will happen to my poor, innocent young people. Insaniyat (Humanity), Kashmiriyat (Kashmiri values) and Jamooriyat (democracy) are the way forward. The path of democracy and dialogue is there. The “taqat (power)’ this country inherited after Independence was also what Kashmir received”. Every India has a dream to travel to Kashmir sometime. The Prime Minister congratulated Mehbooba Mufti for ensuring that the Amarnath yatra continue despite the “malicious intentions” of a few people. “We are ready to debate on the issue”, Naqvi said. This should be followed up with an all-party delegation visiting Kashmir to assuage the feeling, the senior Congress leader added.

The resolution moved by Law Minister Zahid Hamid said the entire nation is aggrieved over the loss of precious lives in the cowardly incidents including that of the martyrdom of Balochistan Bar President Bilal Anwar Kansi.

At least 5,000 Kashmiris have also been injured according to government figures, while doctors say around 200 have been partially or fully-blinded by metal pellets fired by Indian forces to disperse protesters.

“In such circumstances, we want to awaken the government …” Many of us were born in a free India.

The spokesman said, Kashmiris have been “fed with words for long” and “we only hope that the words now get translated into action” and the unrest is brought to an end through a process of dialogue.

Speaking at the event, Modi said that it is my good fate to be here. He said Kashmir wanted peace and the people of Kashmir wanted to earn more through tourism.