Prime Minister Holds Meet On Kashmir unrest as 32 Killed, about 800 Injured

NEW DELHI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being briefed this morning by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the crisis that began with the shooting of 22-year-old terrorist Burhan Wani, provoking large clashes between civilians and security forces.

The Home minister has cancelled his US trip in next week. The PM returned this morning from a tour of Africa.  Senior ministers Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj were at the review this morning along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

In an unprecedented gesture to build support for its strategy, the Govt.has briefed senior opposition leaders  including Sonia Gandhi, Omar Abdullah and Sitaram Yechury to avoid public criticism from political opponents as Pakistan tries to aggravate the unrest in the 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley.
“There is enough information we have about Pakistan’s role in aiding and abetting trouble in the Kashmir region,” said Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and a lawmaker from Jammu and Kashmir.

Yesterday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement which eulogised Wani, provoking a warning from Delhi for Islamabad to “refrain from interfering” in India’s internal affairs.

The army and security forces have been urged to adopt “a more judicious use of force”, said a source, as they take on hostile demonstrators who crowded the streets for a third day despite a curfew in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley.

The government is keen to resume the Amarnath Yatra and ensure thousands of worshipers are not inconvenient. Sources say top officers are worried that stalling of the yatra will be seen as the government’s inability to control law and order and guarantee safe passage to devotees who come from all over India for the exacting pilgrimage.

When the situation quietens, community elders will be enlisted in cooperation with the state government to talk to neighbourhoods and reverse the perception of a heavy-handed administration and people-unfriendly security forces.

Wani was just 15 when he joined the Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest terrorist group in Kashmir. He rose through the ranks quickly, leveraging a growing resentment against the security forces with a firm grip on social media, where he posted pictures of himself and other young men with weapons.

Thousands attended his funeral on Saturday.

Sources say the situation is improving but that the government is sending more troops to the Kashmir Valley to prevent any escalation of violence encouraged by Pakistan or militants within Kashmir.

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