Stating that no power on earth can stop from having a new dawn in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday announced that all stone-pelting cases against children in the state will be withdrawn.

Rajnath, who arrived in Srinagar on a two-day visit to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, said, “Children can be misguided easily, so we understand the predicament. That is why we decided to withdraw the cases against those children who were involved in stone pelting.”

“We believe that children everywhere are the same. We understand that some youth were misled into stone pelting,” he said while speaking at a sports conclave in Srinagar.

Quoting an example of Afshan Ashiq, a Kashmiri woman footballer, who was earlier involved in stone pelting, the home minister said, “When I was in Delhi, I met Afshan and she told me that she had been part of stone-pelting incidents earlier. Ever since she got into sports, her life has turned around. Sports can bring a change in your lives.”

As Rajnath was speaking at Srinagar’s Indoor Stadium, he could not hide his happiness on seeing thousands of youths in the audience. While praising the state’s new generation, Singh said they have the aptitude and inclination to change the destiny of the state.

“No power on earth can stop us from having a new dawn in Jammu and Kashmir,” he asserted as the young crowd applauded Singh, bringing cheer on his face as well as that of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

While appealing to the youth to take the path of development, the home minister said, “There is extreme love in the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Jammu & Kashmir. With the help of the Jammu & Kashmir government, we will change the face and destiny of the state.”

On the occasion, Singh and Mehbooba felicitated eight prominent sports persons from the state. After the function concluded, Rajnath tweeted: “I believe that the youth of Jammu & Kashmir can change the future course and their own fate through ‘Sports Ki Karamat’ & ‘Taleem Ki Taqat’ (sic).”

Rajnath, who is on a two-day visit to the state in the wake of a series of militant attacks and ceasefire violations, will review the security situation and is expected to explore the possibility of extending the Ramzan ceasefire and talks with the separatist groups.

He is accompanied by Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Joint Secretary Jammu & Kashmir Gyanesh Kumar.