A young ruling party legislator representing Wachi Assembly segment from South Kashmir district of Shopian Thursday stirred up a hornets’ nest by labeling terrorists killed in Kashmir as ‘martyrs’ and ‘brothers’.
He also advised Centre’s interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma to hold parleys with the Hurriyat Conference members and terrorists in order to resolve the issue of Kashmir.
An Advocate by profession PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmed Mir's own house was attacked by terrorists on October 19, 2017 by lobbing a grenade. At that time he was away and his family members escaped unhurt.
On Thursday he told reporters on the footsteps of the State legislature complex, "Terrorists who are from Kashmir are martyrs, they are our brothers. They are our children. Some of them are minors who don't even know what they are doing." He said they should be counselled and brought back to the mainstream to end this bloddshed.
Referring to the killing of over 200 militants during year 2017 Mir told reporters, "The killing of terrorists should not be celebrated.”
"We should not celebrate the killings of terrorists, it is our collective failure, we feel sad when our security forces are martyred as well, we should sympathise with parents of security jawans and with parents of terrorists as well," Mir said.
“Nearly one lakh people have been killed due to militancy in all these years. We must focus on dialogue as only dialogue is the way forward," Aijaz clarified before entering the State legislature complex.
He also urged the Centre's special representative for Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma to talk to everybody in the State. "He should talk to separatists and terrorists in Kashmir too," he said.
Reacting to the statement of PDP MLA Congress legislative party leader Nawang Rogzin Zora said, "On one hand BJP top brass remain busy in issuing certificates of 'Nationalism' and on the other hand their own alliance partner PDP MLA is labeling militants as 'martyrs'. Ask BJP Chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir. Zora said, while adding that the double standard of both the alliance partners BJP-PDP has been exposed before their own electorate as they are issuing confusing statements.
Senior National Conference MLA Ali Mohd Sagar said, "The PDP is a party of contradictions.” On the one hand, they said, terrorists are killed under their watch, and on the other, they make statements claiming terrorists are 'martyrs'. He told reporters to ask Deputy Chief Minister to clarify their party stand on the issue.
Meanwhile, State BJP spokesman strongly condemned the statement of PDP legislator Aijaz Mir.
Chief spokesman Sunil Sethi said, "It seems PDP legislator has lost his mental balance. He is talking in the language of militants and separatists while under oath of constitution as legislator.”
He said such utterances are intolerable and no body in political mainstream can be given liberty to cross line of nationalism.
BJP Spokesman also demanded registration of FIR against the PDP MLA and called upon PDP President to take note of reckless statement. Sethi said, PDP MLA has insulted the security forces and will of Nation to fight militancy and if he has sympathy with militants then he should leave mainstream politics.