JAMMU: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that FIR against army will not decrease the morale of the army. She said there could be some black sheep’s in the army also.
Responding to an intense discussion on the killings, triggered by an adjournment motion, she said the government has already ordered the magisterial enquiry and registered an FIR against the army. The investigation will be taken to logical conclusion, she said.
During the meeting of the Unified Headquarters I directed forces to show restraint in controlling the law and order situations, Chief Minister said. “I directed them to fire in the air,” she said.
She said that the police had advised the army against taking the Ganowpora route in the wake of recent killing but the army had taken the route as they had some important exchange exercise.
Ms Mufti attacked UPA government for not initiating the peace talks with Pakistan, which had started by the BJP leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she said. She reiterated her stand that for the first time Prime Minister of a country went to Pakistan uninvited to improve the relations. “But Pathankot incident took place,” she regretted.
Ms Mufti said Dr Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister once talked of revolting against India if they talked to Hurriyat. “I am happy to see the peaceful situation of Jammu and people of Kashmir are freely enjoying their life here,” she said. “Even one of my own MLA told me: Baji Jab mai Jammu aya mujhe lagta hai mai azaad hua”.
Ms Mufti said she talked to defence minister regarding the Shopian killings and she assured her that the state government should take the action, it wishes to take.
Chief Minister said that Kashmir issue can be solved only through dialogue with Pakistan and all stakeholders have to be involved. It has to be solved through a political process, she said.
While quoting former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Ms Mufti said that Omer had said that pelting stones on a bunker is equivalent to committing suicide.
Mehbooba’s comments triggered an immediate reaction from Omar who said that the chief minister was wrongly quoting him. “I never said that the pelting stone on a bunker is equivalent to committing suicide,” Omar said. He referred to her 2016 statement: “Yeh doodh lane gaye the ya toffee lane”. Omar said he is not politicising on the dead bodies of civilians as PDP does.
During the discussion that started in response to an adjournment motion by the opposition amid pandemonium, the BJP had has sought the FIR lodged against the army be withdrawn. BJP lawmaker R S Pathania had suggested that the FIR should be withdrawn and a new case should be registered against the army without mentioning a particular unit. Police have already registered a murder case against 10-Garwahl regiment that was passing through the village.
