Stating that terrorism was the root cause for the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday said the situation should be left to the Army and the government to deal with.
“Terrorism is the main cause for the ongoing unrest in the Kashmir valley. We are pained to see when innocent youths are killed after being threatened by terrorists to throw stones at the security forces,” he told reporters here.
“People who have never thought of leaving Kashmir are now going to other places because they want to live a peaceful life. The day terrorism ends, all the problems in the Valley would end,” he said.
Asked whether talks should be held with Pakistan as advocated by National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah during a meeting of the Opposition parties on Friday, the Minister said: “Such issues should not be made a public debate. The issues of national interest and national security should be left to the Army and the government to decide.”
The Union Minister for Food and Public Supplies also hit out at the separatists for giving a cold shoulder to the all-party delegation which had gone to meet them last month to discuss the Kashmir unrest.
“There needs to be a ground for holding talks, first they (separatists) should accept that India is ours, this is our country and we will resolve all the issues under the ambit of Constitution. Till the time you raise pro-Pakistani slogans and their flags, there is no point holding talks,” he said.
The LJP leader said in a democratic country, everybody had the right to protest, but they should not spoil the life and future of school-going kids. “The child is unable to go to schools, to get education. What will he do in future?” he asked.
Kashmir is reeling under tension due to the unrest which erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an alleged encounter in July.
Commenting on the Opposition’s onslaught against the Modi government regarding the Army’s PoK strikes, Mr. Paswan said: “After the Uri attack, the Opposition started abusing the Prime Minister and mocked that his 56-inch chest has been reduced to 26 inches. When they blame the leader for bad things, why do they shy of giving credit to him for good things?”
The Union Minister also called for keeping the armed forces out of politics.
“The people of Pakistan are not our enemy. Our enemy is terrorism and we are fighting it. The decision of when, how and where to fight terrorism should be left on the wisdom of the Army,” Mr. Paswan added. - PTI
