Mehbooba asks Pak to stop supporting ultras

 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday asked Pakistan to stop supporting militancy in the state and enable restoration of peace so that a dialogue process could begin.

“It is my appeal to those across (the border) that they should renew the policy of not supporting militancy or the gun that they had adopted during (Prime Minister A B) Vajpayee’s time,” she said addressing an election meeting in Dooru in Anantnag constituency.

“Help us restore peace in Jammu and Kashmir and then talks will take place here and across (PoK) as well,” she added.

Mehbooba said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Pakistan in December 2015 had rekindled hopes of improving relations between New Delhi and Islamabad. “Modi went on his own to Lahore to meet Nawaz Sharif. A new hope was attached to it, but unfortunately Pathankot (terror attack) happened,” the chief minister said.

“These (tense) times will not last forever. Vajpayeeji used to say that you can change friends, but not the neighbours. We have to live with each other cordially,” she added.