New Delhi, July 19: Jammu and Kashmir Governor S K Sinha today said "winds of change" were blowing in the state and expressed hope that the new leadership of Hurriyat Conference could give a fillip to the peace process there. "The winds of change are blowing in the state... The moderates have taken over the Hurriyat Conference. Though we cannot be over-optimistic, things are much better than before," Sinha told newsmen here after a book release function.
"We also have to take note of the visit of the founder of Taliban (Jamiat-Ulema Islam chief Fazal-ur Rahman) and his statements regarding resolution of Kashmir issue through talks. This reflects the change that is taking place," he said.
Stating that the efforts of the state government were on to ensure an incident-free Amarnath Yatra, he said instances like increase in Muslim participation in organising the Kheer Bhawani pilgrimage and construction of a temple in Budgam by Muslims for their Hindu brethren were indicators of a positive change in the valley.
He said the tourist flow this year was almost double than last year and people of the state were contributing to the state government's effort to completely revive the sector, which was their daily bread earner.
However, incidents of violence were still continuing and an average of ten people were killed daily which included security personnel, civilians and militants.
"Kashmir has gone through a very dark period in last 15 years. We are still in the midst of that turbulent period. But we cannot ignore the winds of change that are blowing in the Valley," he added. Bureau Report