Centre bullish on Kashmir situation

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asserted that the Centre was not sitting idle over the situation in Kashmir and the results would be visible soon. Asked what exactly the government’s plan was to normalise the situation, Singh said, “I think not a single person should die in Kashmir. We cannot say what we are doing, what is being done and what we are trying to achieve, but we will show you the results.”

Singh said, “Whatever is being shown on TV channels about Kashmir is an exaggeration. We are not saying that stone pelting is not happening across Kashmir. But  it is happening only at a few places. There are nationalists in Kashmir too. Wrong perception should not be created based on a few incidents.”

Refusing to believe that the situation in Kashmir is at its worst, Singh said that the problem is not three years old but one that festered for too long.  Also, the past events show that the conditions deteriorated once every three-four years.

Hailing Lt Ummer Fayaz, who was killed by militants, as a role model for the Kashmiri youth, Singh held that there was  lot grief over his death among the people of the Valley.

Asked about the possibility of holding talks with separatists, Singh said, “I have gone to Kashmir thrice and invited all stakeholders to talk but nobody turned up to meet me. We did not stop leaders from the Opposition parties when then went to the Valley to meet separatists, but doors were closed on them.”