Opposition wants political solution to Kashmir

During a short-duration discussion on the Kashmir situation, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said while his party stands with the Modi government and the coalition in the state in dealing firmly with militancy, the ‘excessive use’ of force against the common citizens, including children and women, is not acceptable. 

For the current unrest, he blamed a number of reasons including BJP’s participation in government with PDP in the state, provocative statements made by some leaders of BJP and RSS besides Pakistan, ‘whose existence is the root cause of all problems’. 

Leader of House Arun Jaitley admitted that the situation in Kashmir was a ‘matter of concern’ but rejected the contention that the violence in the valley was a result of the BJP getting into power at the state. 

Asserting that efforts are underway to restore normalcy at the earliest, he said the entire country should speak in one voice at this time and common man should not be made to suffer there. 

Separatist Kashmiri groups have held demonstrations outside the premises of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN here protesting against the Indian forces in the valley and demanding UN intervention in the Kashmir issue. 

The Kashmir American Council led the three-hour protests on Sunday. The event was attended by women and children as well. Holding banners and placards that read ‘Indian forces out of Kashmir’, ‘No democracy without self-determination’ and ‘Time to resolve Kashmir dispute now’, the protesters shouted slogans demanding freedom for Kashmir and its people. The demonstrators also shouted slogans in support of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed this month by Indian forces in Kashmir. 

“The US and other western countries must intervene to stop the human rights violations in Kashmir,” Shaheen Khalid Butt, Chairman of the Kashmir Mission USA, said.