New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reacted sharply to Jammu and Kashmir former chief minister and National Conference president Omar Abdullah's remark over the ongoing crisis going on in the Valley. '
"We don't only love the land of Kashmir, but the people too (Hume kewal Kashmir ki zameen se mohabbat nahi hai, hume kashmir ke logon se bhi mohabbat hai)," Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
"We want to see pens and computers in the hands of Kashmiri youth and not stones and firearms," said Rajnath, who reached Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh today to participate in Tiranaga Yatra to mark 70th Independence Day.
Today afternoon, a 20-member delegation led by Omar Abdullah met President Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him of continued difficulties being faced by the people because of continued curfew in the valley.
Omar and other Opposition parties were worried about youths getting killed and injured in security forces’ firing, alleging the state and the central governments “mishandled” the situation.
"When you say that the Kashmir is an integral part of India, you are talking the land, not of people. Make people yours too. A small problem with Gujarat and the Prime Minister spoke to the people there in the Gujarati; why our problem is not important enough," Omar said on Friday.
"We want the Centre to take emergent steps to check excessive use of force. There is a need for a judicial probe into the Kashmir situation," said Omar, alleging that both the Central and state governments totally failed to stop the killings of civilian in the Valley.
Omar said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had been blaming Pakistan for the unrest. "Yes, they are playing a negative role, but it is the security forces who are killing youth and other people in the Valley," he said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir is a political issue and should be solved politically.
