'Will stop ‘Operation All Out’ if voted to power'

Alleging that army was carrying out a genocide in Kashmir, a senior leader of regional National Conference (NC) on Saturday said if his party comes to the power it will ensure that ‘Operation All-Out’ against the militants is stopped.

“A genocide is going on in Kashmir. Today our kids (militants) are being killed day in, day out. On one hand, you say they are our children but on the other, they are being killed. Brigades of the army are being used to kill them,” NC leader and former legislator Bashir Veeri said while talking to reporters.

“If you (India) call these children as their own, then why you kill them? Can’t children sometimes go haywire? Do you kill them then?” he questioned.

Veeri, who had earlier in August termed slain militants as ‘martyrs’, condemned ‘Operation All-Out’ and other anti-militancy operations by the army.

Asked how would army deal with militants if ‘Operation All-Out’ is stopped, he said, “We have worked here in the past, but the governor sahib’s administration has totally failed here. I challenge him to restore 2014-like situation when an elected government was ruling the state.”

The army launched ‘Operation All-Out’ in May 2017 to flush out militants from Kashmir to ensure complete peace in the state. Last year 217 militants were killed under the operation while nearly 250 have been neutralised this year.