Every Kashmiri youth not a stonepelter: Mehbooba

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday insisted that “not every youth in Kashmir is a stone pelter” and blamed national news channels for making the situation worse.

minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that every youth in Kashmir is not a stonepelter and blamed the national media for worsening the Kashmir situation. Mehbooba said that Kashmir had seen much grimmer situation in the past and hoped that the situation will improve.

“By portraying every Kashmiri as a stonepelter you are creating hatred for Kashmiri people in the hearts of Indians across the country,’’ she said.

Mehbooba said this in her interaction with the media on the sidelines of the opening of the Darbar move offices in Srinagar. Civil secretariat, Raj Bhawan and other offices opened in Srinagar on Monday with chief minister Mehbooba Mufti taking salute and inspecting the ceremonial guard of honour at the seat of government.

Mehbooba said Jammu and Kashmir is “the crown of the country” and people of the region have the right to be in any part of the country. “Our children have excelled in all fields. They should excel in the rest of the country with their intelligence and hard work,’’ she added.

Accepting that the situation in the state was not very conducive, Mehbooba however said that she

has seen worse.

“When I came (to contest) for the first time in 1996, leave aside campaigning, we couldn’t even step out of homes. This is a passing phase which won’t last,’’ she said while appealing for peace.

“Our youth is disillusioned and angry but a solution can be found for everything,” she added.

2 COPS INJURED IN ‘MILITANT’ ATTACK IN DODA

Meanwhile, two cops were injured in a suspected militant attack on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday in Doda district

of J&K.

The army, special operations group of Jammu and Kashmir Police and other paramilitary forces have launched a search operation in the upper reaches of the district to hunt down the unidentified attackers.

Doda deputy commissioner Bhupinder Kumar told Hindustan Times that search was on since early morning but there has been no breakthrough yet.

“The attackers, whose number is still unknown, fired 12-13 rounds, probably with assault rifles and escaped from the spot,” he said.