Rajnath taunts Kashmir separatists
Srinagar, June 7: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday taunted Kashmiri separatist leaders for praising their own children on their academic success while pushing other children into "darkness" by encouraging them to throw stones at security forces.
The Minister's taunt came days after jailed separatist leader Shabir Shah's daughter cleared her CBSE Class 12 exam and was a state topper with 97.8 per cent. Hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other separatist leaders congratulated Shah's daughter on her success, describing her as a role model for Kashmiri youngsters.
Rajnath Singh didn't name anyone in his remarks but asked: "What kind of approach is this?.
"You congratulate your own children for doing well in examinations and push children of others into darkness by pushing them to play with fire and stones," he told reporters.
With Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti by his side, Rajnath Singh said playing politics with the future of Kashmir's children was not only deceitful but criminal as well.
The Minister is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to assess the security situation in the aftermath of the ongoing Ramadan ceasefire.
He said Ramadan was a holy month and those who indulge in terrorism during this month were indulging in unholy practices.
He recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's approach of a insaniyat (humanity), jumhooriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat (eclectic culture) and said: "Those who pick up guns cannot be said to be believers of democracy.
"Kashmiriyat includes both Hazratbal (the Srinagar Muslim shrine that houses the relic of Prophet) and Amarnath (the Hindu hill shrine in south Kashmir). (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi said from the Red Fort that the problem of Kashmir can be solved by embracing Kashmiris and not by abusing them."
The Home Minister said the issue of extending or calling off the ceasefire would be discussed with the Chief Minister before taking a final call. He added that nothing could be ruled out.
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Curbs on movement, assembly remain in force in Kashmir after protests against Khamenei's killing
Srinagar (PTI): Normal life in Kashmir was affected for the fifth consecutive day as partial restrictions on movement of people remained in force as a precautionary measure.
The restrictions were imposed on Monday after spontaneous protests broke out across Kashmir a day earlier against the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israel joint strikes.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday held a meeting with civil society representatives and religious leaders as part of efforts to bring the situation back to normalcy.
ALSO READ: Protests against Khamenei's killing: Curbs remain in force in Kashmir
After the meeting, Abdullah appealed to people to maintain peace while expressing grief and anger in "mosques, shrines and Imambaras".
The government has shut educational institutions till Saturday, and reduced mobile internet speeds.
"Restrictions on the movement and assembly of the people continued in many parts of Kashmir on Thursday," the officials said.
A large number of police and paramilitary CRPF personnel were deployed across the city to prevent gatherings of protestors, the officials said.
They added that concertina wires and barricades were placed at important intersections leading into the city, while asserting that these were precautionary measures imposed to maintain law and order.
The iconic Ghanta Ghar in the city centre of Lal Chowk here continued to remain a no-go zone after the authorities sealed area with barricades erected all around it on late Sunday night.
The move to seal the Ghanta Ghar came after it witnessed massive protests on Sunday after Khamenei's assassination in the joint air strikes by the US and Israel.
This is the first time since August 2019 -- when Article 370 was revoked -- that protests on such a large scale have taken place in Kashmir.
