Mehbooba Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister has absolved on Monday that her government could not be blamed in the deaths during the current demonstrations in the Valley and has also accused “violent” protesters of creating the current impasse.
Backing security personnel and police, who have faced flak from the protesters across the Valley for their strong-armed tactics in order to control demonstrators, the CM, in her first Independence Day address, she also said injuries to the police and security personnel are an indication of “how much they tried (to ensure) there is no casualty”.
Mehbooba has blamed Pakistan for the deteriorating relations and has praised PM Narendra Modi’s Pakistan policy and also his recent remarks that a solution to the Kashmir problem could be found “through Mr. Vajpayee-ji’s doctrine of the democracy and humanity”.
Mehbooba Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
While addressing the programme at Bakshi Stadium here, Mufti has blamed people for further letting their children be part of these protests following the killing of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant on July 8.
She mentioned: “There is a right to protest in a democratic country, but these protests should be peaceful. If in any case there is violence, if petrol bombs are hurled, and occasionally grenades are thrown, it becomes very difficult…. My duty is to further safeguard life and property of those who do not want to be part of these current protests. And while performing this duty, sometimes, even though you do not like it, bullets were fired, and also pellet guns were used in which our children and youth died, (and) citizens were injured, which include policemen and security personnel.”
But that, she noted, “it does not mean no mistakes could have taken place. Where I feel that the excesses occurred against my directions, we will also seek accountability from the police (and) security forces.”
