Your Violence, My Violence: Mehbooba Mufti Justifies Inaction

SRINAGAR: The Kashmir uprising dominated the second day proceedings of the state assembly in Jammu and Kashmir with the Speaker allowing a debate on the unrest and violence in 2016 that left a trial of death and destruction in the turmoil-hit valley.

As soon as the House convened on Tuesday morning, the Opposition members cdemanded a debate on the unrest that broke out after the killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

"Qatil Sarkar, Hai, Hai. Maut Ka Hisaab Do," the Opposition members shouted at the Treasury benches following which the Speaker, Kavinder Gupta, allowed a debate on the issue.

Responding to the remarks of J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who had yesterday sought answers on the 2010 protests from him, the Leader of the Opposition and former CM Omar Abdullah said it would be wrong to compare 2010 with 2016.

Abdullah said unlike Mehbooba Mufti, he had never blamed Pakistan nor the parents of those who were killed in the months of street protests across Kashmir in 2010. “We can't compare 2010 with 2016. This year, media has been targeted. Newspaper offices are raided,” said Abdullah.

“You blamed Jawahar Lal Nehru, my father, grandfather and police (for insurgency in the state). Did you ever blame yourself for your failure to restore normalcy in Kashmir?” he asked.

Yesterday, the CM had blamed the National Conference, of which Omar Abdullah is the working president, for "sowing the seeds of secession by demanding plebiscite" and "rigging elections in 1987" which gave birth to militancy in the Valley.

She had also rejected the Opposition's demands of a judicial inquiry into last year's uprising during which at least 95 civilians were killed while hundreds suffered permanent disability due to "excessive use of force" against protesters. Many young persons lost their sight because of indiscriminate firing of pellet guns by the government forces.

Mehbooba Mufti's call for a discussion on 2010 Kashmiri uprising coincided with the release of Jthe ustice Koul Commission report tasked to probe the months of violence in the Valley during 2010.

At least 124 civilians, mostly teenagers, were killed in retaliatory action against protesters by government forces. Koul presented his report, which documents the events that occurred during 2010, to the government last week.