Stone-pelters will be dealt with iron fist: Govt

NEW DELHI: The government remains firm on its Kashmir strategy, promising to deal with stone-pelters with an iron fist but keeping option for dialogue open if they shun violence.

A reiteration of this came from top government sources, as Kashmir plunges into another round of clashes following death of eight terrorists, including Sabzar Ahmad Bhat, who had succeeded Hizbul Mujahideen’s Burhan Wani following his killing last July.

“They (stone-pelters) will be killed, if they raise arms,” a senior leader of the ruling BJP said on Sunday. “There cannot be dialogue with stone in your hands.”

This is a firm rejection of demands from a section of the opposition to open dialogue with separatist leaders in Kashmir to restore normalcy.

Parts of Kashmir Valley have seen turbulence after Wani’s encounter in July last year. Internet services have been hampered and curfew imposed to bring situation to normalcy. A controversy also broke out recently when an Army major was rewarded to using a stone thrower as human shield in Kashmir.

Government leaders, however, refute that situation in Kashmir is alarming and insist that the trouble creators are limited to only three districts of the Valley. The intelligence reports available with the government also point out a hand from across the border behind the incidents.

Senior ministers of the government insist that situation in Kashmir is not as bad as it was in the 90s and say that the present spate of turbulence will be controlled eventually.

2 SEPARATIST LEADERS SUMMONED BY NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned two Kashmiri separatist leaders to its headquarters in New Delhi on Monday in connection with its probe into the alleged funding of subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Agency officials on Sunday said former militant Farooq Ahmad Dar alias ‘Bitta Karate’ and Javed Ahmed Babaof Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH) have been asked to be present at NIA headquarters on Monday .

The agency had filed a preliminary enquiry (PE) on May 19 to probe the funding.

They (stonepelters) will be killed, if they raise arms. There cannot be dialogue with stone in your hands.

SENIOR BJP LEADER