A day after a tourist from Chennai became a victim of stone-pelters by losing his life in Srinagar, Kashmir centric parties and separatists have started playing politics on the serious issue instead of bridling the miscreants who have been allowed a free run in the valley.
Seven tourists from Kerala were injured last week due to stone pelting. While chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was on Tuesday silent on the steps her government would initiate to rein in those involved in stone pelting, she reiterated her demand of asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate a meaningful dialogue to solve the problem in Kashmir.
The pro-Pakistan separatist leader Syed Alishah Geelani, who has always been preaching morality to others and inciting stone-pelteres, has sealed his lips on the issue of a young tourist being killed, but extended by another day his call for shutdown in Kashmir against killing of five terrorists and an equal number of stone-pelters during an encounter in Shopian on Sunday.
Working president of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah, was the only among the Kashmiri leaders who openly called these stone-pelters “goons”. Omar tweeted; “This young man from Chennai died in my constituency and while I don’t support these goons, their methods or their ideology, I’m deeply, deeply sorry that this happened at all and that too in an area I’ve been proud to represent since 2014”.
This young man from Chennai died in my constituency & while I don’t support these goons, their methods or their ideology I’m deeply, deeply sorry that this happened at all & that too in an area I’ve been proud to represent since 2014.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 7, 2018
“We’ve killed a tourist by throwing stones at the vehicle he was travelling in. Let’s try and wrap our heads around the fact that we stoned a tourist, a guest, to death while we glorify these stone pelters and their methods,” he said in another strongly worded tweet aimed at the separatists.
Attacking Modi and the BJP-PDP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar fired another tweet saying; “The JK Govt has failed, the CM has failed, the BJP-PDP alliance has failed. How much blood will have to be shed in Kashmir before the Hon PM realises the gravity of the situation in J&K? When will enough finally be enough?”.
Read More: J-K will get pushed deeper into this vortex of gloom: Mehbooba Mufti
Mehbooba, who on Monday night visited the Srinagar hospital to express sympathies with father of the killed 22-year-old tourist, on Tuesday tweeted; “Without a sustained, meaningful dialogue & outreach, not just from the Govt but from the entire country, J&K will get pushed deeper into this vortex of gloom. My deepest condolences to the deceased’s family and my prayers go out to the girl who was injured in the same incident.”
Without a sustained, meaningful dialogue & outreach, not just from the govt but from the entire country, J&K will get pushed deeper into this vortex of gloom. My deepest condolences to the deceased’s family & my prayers go out to the girl who was injured in the same incident. 2/2
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 8, 2018
“It’s truly heartbreaking when a family saves for years to realise their dream of visiting Kashmir and while they are here they face their worst nightmare. I have no words strong enough to condemn this tragic incident or even begin to condole the family”, she said in another tweet.
Its truly heartbreaking when a family saves for years to realise their dream of visiting Kashmir & while they are here they face their worst nightmare. I have no words strong enough to condemn this tragic incident or even begin to condole the family. 1/2
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 8, 2018
Mehbooba had on Monday said “my head hangs in shame” when she visited the hospital to pay condolences to father of the killed tourist R Thirumani who suffered head injury caused by stone-pelters while the family was proceeding to the famous tourist destination of Gulmarg.
His father broke down when Mehbooba reached the hospital last evening. The J-K DGP SP Vaid called the incident as unfortunate and requested the people to help police nabbing violent protesters.
“This is the last thing we wanted Kashmir to see. People of Kashmir are known as good hosts. I request the civil society and all elders to identify such people and hand them over to Police,” he said.