Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday called for an end to raids on militants’ families in Kashmir, saying “there is need to create a positive atmosphere to make the Centre’s fresh initiative a success.”
“The police should play their role in ensuring the success of the process by providing a congenial and positive atmosphere on the ground. The police should not attack the militants’ families the way militants do,” said Ms. Mufti in her address at the Police Training School in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.
Describing the Centre’s decision to appoint former Intelligence Bureau (IB) director Dineshwar Sharma for a dialogue process “as a major step towards reconciliation and public outreach”, she said, “It’s a bold and major step to get people out of the turmoil and need to be successful.”
“We shouldn’t do what the militants are doing,” said Ms. Mufti. Maintaining the moral high ground, she said, is a challenge. “Given the professional stature of the J&K Police, it would rise to the occasion,” she added.