Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz urges him to listen to Kashmiris’ mann ki baat: ‘Resolve Kashmir dispute’
A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to J&K, the state was enveloped in a security blanket as area domination operations were intensified.
The visit has kindled hope in the region where levels of violence have increased at a pace never seen in the past decade and the cessation of counter-insurgency operations is being seen as a major peace-making initiative.
The announcement of ceasefire in J&K by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is associated with hope, and now many are hoping that the Prime Minister’s visit will firm up the peace initiative.
Modi will visit the state on Saturday and make stopovers in all three regions — Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir. He will lay the foundation stone of Zojila Tunnel at an event in Jive-tsal, Leh, followed by separate stone-laying events of ring roads in Srinagar and Jammu. The three projects will be completed at an estimated cost of over Rs 10,000 crore and will improve the road infrastructure in the region.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of a ring-road in Srinagar, which has been enveloped in a multi-tier security blanket and checkpoints have been established across the city. The police and paramilitary forces have stepped up deployment and patrol while vehicles are being thoroughly searched.
Militants had raided a police guard post on Thursday night at Dalgate — close to the venue of the ring-road function to be attended by the Prime Minister — and had succeeded in snatching three rifles, making it the second such incident this week.
The incidents have put the security grid on an alert on the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit and “all security measures have been put in place”, a police official said.
The Prime Minister’s visit has come under focus and interest due to New Delhi’s announcement of unilateral ceasefire, which is the first major peace-making initiative taken by the Modi government in the Kashmir valley.
The separatists and local militant groups have so far remained cautious in their response to the ceasefire announcement and their statements have reflected confusion as well as a yearning for the peace process.
In its statements, both joint resistant leadership (JRL) comprising three key separatist leaders and the militant amalgam United Jehad Council objected to the limited scope of ceasefire and demanded more “sincerity” from New Delhi.
A key member of the JRL, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, also urged the Prime Minister to listen to their “mann ki baat”.
“Mr Modi, all have been listening to your ‘Mann Ki Baat’ for years now. As you come here tomorrow, allow us Kashmiris to peacefully gather at Lal Chowk so that you hear our ‘mann ki baat’! It’s just three words ‘Resolve Kashmir Dispute’,” Mirwaiz wrote in a tweet, hours ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit.
PM to lay stone of projects
Zojila Tunnel: The 14-km long Zojila tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel. It will cut down the time taken to cross the pass from the present 3.5 hours to just 15 minutes.
Srinagar Ring Road: The 42.1-km Srinagar Ring Road will link Galandar in West Srinagar to Sumbal. Being built at a cost of Rs 1,860 crore, this four-lane stretch will provide a new route from Srinagar to Kargil and Leh, and reduce travel time.
Jammu Ring Road: The 58.25-km Jammu Ring Road will link Jagati in western Jammu to Raya Morh. There will be 8 large bridges, 6 flyovers, 2 tunnels and 4 via ducts on this four-lane route.
