Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti conducted a joint press conference on J&K situation, in Srinagar on Thursday to discuss the situation in the valley.
Singh, who is in the Valley on a two-day visit that concludes on Thursday, said during a media conference, "We firmly believe that without the future of Kashmir, the future of India cannot exist."
Both leaders appealed for peace, urging Kashmiris to refrain from violence. They said that discussions were the only way forward and that a majority of Kashmiris want peace.
Mufti said that those inciting violence would be identified and would be dealt with.
Singh added that he had met about 300 people from 20 delegations who told him they wanted peace.
Here are the highlights of Rajnath Singh’s speech:
· Appeal to all Kashmiris not to play with the future of youth in the Valley
· An alternative to pellet guns will be used soon
· Children are children. If they pick up stones, they must be counselled
· Soon, we (MHA) are going to appoint a nodal officer so that people of Kashmir can address their grievances to him
· More than 4,000 security personnel injured. Will appeal to people not to forget the role they played during floods in Kashmir
· We have to identify those elements who are trying to mislead some of our youth in Kashmir
· An all-party delegation to Kashmir will be sent and Mehbooba Mufti should make the preparations for it
· Youth in Kashmir should have pens, books and computers in their hands, not stones·
Here are the highlights of Mehbooba Mufti’s speech:
· No solution can be found by stone pelting and attacking security camps
· Had a kid gone to buy a toffee from an army camp? A 15-year-old boy who attacked a police station (in south Kashmir), had he gone to buy milk? Don't compare the two
· Poor Kashmiri youth were being used as shield by vested interests.
· Only 5% of the people in Kashmir use children as shields and attack camps of security forces. Ninety-five percent people don't want violence. They want peace. They want a dialogue to resolve the Kashmir issue. We have to reach out to them.
· Our youth are used by some elements as shields to attack Army camps, they want our children to suffer
· There is no place for violence in Kashmir. Those responsible for unrest will not be spared
· What happened in 2010 had a reason. There was a fake encounter in Machil. Today three militants were killed in an encounter and how is the government to be blamed for that