Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can resolve the Kashmir problem as he has a strong mandate and appealed to him to pull the valley out of morass. 
 
Mufti, whose government is battling spiralling protests in the valley, said the situation is the result of pent up anger due to failure of the UPA government to continue with the policy started by the previous NDA government in Jammu and Kashmir during her father Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed&#39;s rule.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I say today with authority and I will be criticised for it also. If anyone can find a solution to Jammu and Kashmir problem, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
 
&quot;He (PM) has a strong mandate. Whatever decision he takes, the country will support him,&quot; said Mufti, whose party is running a government in coalition with the BJP. 
 
&quot;If anyone can take us out of the sticky spot, it is Prime Minister Modi. The nation will support whatever he decides...it is may earnest appeal...,&quot; she said. 
 
The CM was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a flyover here. 
 
Hailing the Prime Minister&#39;s decision to visit Lahore on December 25, 2015, she said that it was a sign of strength not weakness. 
 
&quot;He has the mandate of the people. This is his biggest power. He went to Lahore and met the PM of that country. This is not a sign of weakness but an indication of strength and power,&quot; she said. 
 
She took a dig at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he did not have the courage to visit Pakistan. 
 
&quot;Before him (Modi), a Prime Minister had also desired to go to Pakistan for over ten years. He wanted to see his home there,&quot; she said, with naming Singh. 
 
&quot;He also would have tried to end the confrontation between the two countries, and bring J&amp;K out of this unfortunate situation, but he had no courage to do that.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
She gave credit to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former chief minister Mufti Sayeed for starting the &quot;chapter of peace&quot; in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002. 
 
&quot;They tried their best to bring out Kashmir out of this unfortunate situation. He was successful to a large extent in shortest of period,&quot; Mehbooba said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;There was ceasefire (along Indo-Pak border) during Vajpayee&#39;s rule. There were talks with L K Advani (in Kashmir). There was beginning of the process of opening (cross -LoC) roads.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
The chief minister said militancy declined during that period and there was peace on the borders. 
 
&quot;These were not small developments. But unfortunately Mufti was out of the government and Vajpayee ji left, and the process came to grinding halt,&quot; the PDP leader lamented. 
 
She alleged that the UPA regime at the centre and the state government did not carry forward the process thinking &quot;everything is peaceful and there is no need to do anything further&quot;. 
 
&quot;There was pent-up lava. It started to come out when the youths were out on the streets in 2008 and then 2009 and 2010. 
 
This lava has now spread to the streets and we are forced to face this situation,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
The CM said while her government is trying to improve the situation in Kashmir, there are some forces which do not want it. 
 
&quot;Mufti sahib, who had seen a dream, shook hands with the Prime Minister of our country Narendra Modi, who has got the mandate of the people,&quot; she said. 
 
As the chief minister was speaking, former Minister and senior Congress leader Gulchain Singh Charak interrupted her speech and demanded setting up of two civil secretariat in Jammu and Srinagar capital cities. 
 
Charak, who later walked out of the hall in protest, was heckled by some workers after conclusion of the function.

(PTI)

The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir urged the Indian premier to use his mandate to stop the rot in the riven state

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can resolve the Kashmir problem as he has a strong mandate and appealed to him to pull the valley out of morass. Mufti, whose government is battling spiralling protests in the valley, said the situation is the result of pent up anger due to failure of the UPA government to continue with the policy started by the previous NDA government in Jammu and Kashmir during her father Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed's rule. "I say today with authority and I will be criticised for it also. If anyone can find a solution to Jammu and Kashmir problem, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "He (PM) has a strong mandate. Whatever decision he takes, the country will support him," said Mufti, whose party is running a government in coalition with the BJP. "If anyone can take us out of the sticky spot, it is Prime Minister Modi. The nation will support whatever he decides...it is may earnest appeal...," she said. The CM was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a flyover here. Hailing the Prime Minister's decision to visit Lahore on December 25, 2015, she said that it was a sign of strength not weakness. "He has the mandate of the people. This is his biggest power. He went to Lahore and met the PM of that country. This is not a sign of weakness but an indication of strength and power," she said. She took a dig at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying he did not have the courage to visit Pakistan. "Before him (Modi), a Prime Minister had also desired to go to Pakistan for over ten years. He wanted to see his home there," she said, with naming Singh. "He also would have tried to end the confrontation between the two countries, and bring J&K out of this unfortunate situation, but he had no courage to do that." She gave credit to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former chief minister Mufti Sayeed for starting the "chapter of peace" in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002. "They tried their best to bring out Kashmir out of this unfortunate situation. He was successful to a large extent in shortest of period," Mehbooba said. "There was ceasefire (along Indo-Pak border) during Vajpayee's rule. There were talks with L K Advani (in Kashmir). There was beginning of the process of opening (cross -LoC) roads." The chief minister said militancy declined during that period and there was peace on the borders. "These were not small developments. But unfortunately Mufti was out of the government and Vajpayee ji left, and the process came to grinding halt," the PDP leader lamented. She alleged that the UPA regime at the centre and the state government did not carry forward the process thinking "everything is peaceful and there is no need to do anything further". "There was pent-up lava. It started to come out when the youths were out on the streets in 2008 and then 2009 and 2010. This lava has now spread to the streets and we are forced to face this situation," she said. The CM said while her government is trying to improve the situation in Kashmir, there are some forces which do not want it. "Mufti sahib, who had seen a dream, shook hands with the Prime Minister of our country Narendra Modi, who has got the mandate of the people," she said. As the chief minister was speaking, former Minister and senior Congress leader Gulchain Singh Charak interrupted her speech and demanded setting up of two civil secretariat in Jammu and Srinagar capital cities. Charak, who later walked out of the hall in protest, was heckled by some workers after conclusion of the function. (PTI)

Only PM Modi can resolve Kashmir issue: Mehbooba Mufti

Banned Islamist organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed has chided Pakistan for going soft on India over human rights violations in Kashmir.

&quot;The Pakistani government&#39;s response to India over atrocities in Kashmir is cool and by doing so it is not pleading the case of oppressed Kashmiris,&quot; Saeed said during a Friday sermon at JuD headquarters Masjid-e-Qadsia, PTI reported.

Saeed said this was the time people in Kashmir needed Pakistan&#39;s &quot;full practical support&quot;.&nbsp;

Jamaat-ud-Dawa is believed to be a front group of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an outfit that has been blamed by India for carrying out the 2001 Parliament attack and 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Saeed&#39;s goading comes a few days after he urged Pakistan&#39;s political establishment to unite and stave off pressure being put on them by several countries, especially India.

He had blamed India for diverting the attention from Kashmir after four armed men launched an assault on an Indian military installation in Uri, which left 19&nbsp;soldiers dead, in September.

India-administered Kashmir has been a crucible of deadly protests following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

Over 80 Kashmiris have died during clashes between Indian security personnel and residents protesting Wani&#39;s death.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Hafiz Saeed urged Pakistan to help people in Kashmir as this was the time they needed Islamabad's 'full practical support'

Banned Islamist organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed has chided Pakistan for going soft on India over human rights violations in Kashmir. "The Pakistani government's response to India over atrocities in Kashmir is cool and by doing so it is not pleading the case of oppressed Kashmiris," Saeed said during a Friday sermon at JuD headquarters Masjid-e-Qadsia, PTI reported. Saeed said this was the time people in Kashmir needed Pakistan's "full practical support". Jamaat-ud-Dawa is believed to be a front group of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an outfit that has been blamed by India for carrying out the 2001 Parliament attack and 2008 Mumbai attacks. Saeed's goading comes a few days after he urged Pakistan's political establishment to unite and stave off pressure being put on them by several countries, especially India. He had blamed India for diverting the attention from Kashmir after four armed men launched an assault on an Indian military installation in Uri, which left 19 soldiers dead, in September. India-administered Kashmir has been a crucible of deadly protests following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Over 80 Kashmiris have died during clashes between Indian security personnel and residents protesting Wani's death. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief chides Pakistan for 'cool' response to Kashmir ferment

At a joint press briefing organised by the Indian defence and foreign ministries, the director general of military operations (DGMO) and the spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry said today that the Indian army conducted a &quot;surgical strike&quot; last night on &quot;five terrorist launchpads&quot; across the line of control dividing India and Pakistan.&nbsp;

The DGMO, Lt General Ranbir Singh, said the strike had caused &quot;significant&quot; casualties, that he had called his Pakistani counterpart &mdash;&nbsp;as is protocol &mdash; to inform him of the operation, and that the operation was no longer active.&nbsp;

But sources told WION the strikes were carried out on eight different terrorist hideouts across five launchpads (used to cross over to the Indian side), that 38 terrorists were killed in under one hour, and that Indian army special forces had been paradropped onto the hideouts which were between 500 mts to 2 kms across the LoC.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndianArmy?src=hash">#IndianArmy</a> conducted surgical strikes y&#39;day, to foil infiltration attempts; resulting in significant casualties to terrorists: DGMO <a href="https://twitter.com/adgpi">@adgpi</a> <a href="https://t.co/mkv6FmdhMY">pic.twitter.com/mkv6FmdhMY</a>
&mdash; PIB India (@PIB_India) <a href="https://twitter.com/PIB_India/status/781400640954126336">September 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
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ANI reported that the operation lasted from 12.30 am to 4.30 am.&nbsp;

On the Pakistani side, the Dawn newspaper said the Pakistani army &quot;rubbishes reports&quot; of an Indian surgical strike. The Pakistani army said instead that there had &quot;cross-border fire initiated and conducted by India&quot;, and that two Pakistani army men had died in the firing.&nbsp;

ANI quoted the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as saying, &quot;We condemn this attack, our desire for peace should not be interpreted as our weakness.&quot;&nbsp;

And that &quot;we are ready for the safety and defence of our country&quot;.&nbsp;

The Pakistan Army also dismissed India&#39;s statements, saying it is a &quot;lie&quot;.&nbsp;

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Indian claim that terrorist launching pad in Pakistan were targeted is lie: Pakistan Army.
&mdash; Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/781475274579779585">September 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Pakistan&#39;s&nbsp;Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also refuted India&#39;s claim, saying &quot;the notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by India&nbsp;to create false effects&quot;.

&quot;This quest by Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, same will be strongly responded,&quot; said the ISPR in a statement, Geo News reported.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISPR?src=hash">#ISPR</a> says there was no <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/surgicalstrike?src=hash">#surgicalstrike</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash">#India</a>, instead there had been cross border fire initiated by India. <a href="https://t.co/bXr7qWo8qz">pic.twitter.com/bXr7qWo8qz</a>
&mdash; PTV World (@WorldPTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldPTV/status/781424905413943296">September 29, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Later, ISPR said two of their army personnel were killed in a heavy exchange of firing between India and Pakistan troops along the border.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC in Bhimber, Hotspring Kel and Lipa sectors,&quot; a statement released by ISPR said.

Hours after the attack, India&#39;s home minister Rajnath Singh phoned Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and urged him to quickly start evacuating people living in villages that lie within ten kilometres of the international border. Schools and other establishments located close to the border have also been asked&nbsp;to shut down. The Indian state of Punjab is bordered by Pakistan to the west.

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Punjab: Villages near Attari sector being evacuated after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SurgicalStrike?src=hash">#SurgicalStrike</a> conducted by Indian Army. <a href="https://t.co/ma9D7SMCp2">pic.twitter.com/ma9D7SMCp2</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/781461020329902080">29 September 2016</a></blockquote>
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On September 18, eighteen Indian soldiers had died in a terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Kashmir. The attack was blamed on terrorists sent in from Pakistan, and the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi had at the time assured the Indian public that the country would respond at a &quot;time and place of its choosing&quot;.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the Indian stock indices fell sharply as news of the strikes broke. The Sensex fell 465 points to 27,955 and the Nifty fell 108 points to 8,637.&nbsp;The Indian rupee also slid 49 paise (intra-day) against the US dollar&nbsp;to trade at 66.95.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange also took a 500-point hit after the news broke.

(WION)

WION has learnt that 38 terrorists were killed in under an hour in the midnight operation

At a joint press briefing organised by the Indian defence and foreign ministries, the director general of military operations (DGMO) and the spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry said today that the Indian army conducted a "surgical strike" last night on "five terrorist launchpads" across the line of control dividing India and Pakistan. The DGMO, Lt General Ranbir Singh, said the strike had caused "significant" casualties, that he had called his Pakistani counterpart — as is protocol — to inform him of the operation, and that the operation was no longer active. But sources told WION the strikes were carried out on eight different terrorist hideouts across five launchpads (used to cross over to the Indian side), that 38 terrorists were killed in under one hour, and that Indian army special forces had been paradropped onto the hideouts which were between 500 mts to 2 kms across the LoC. #IndianArmy conducted surgical strikes y'day, to foil infiltration attempts; resulting in significant casualties to terrorists: DGMO @adgpi pic.twitter.com/mkv6FmdhMY — PIB India (@PIB_India) September 29, 2016 × ANI reported that the operation lasted from 12.30 am to 4.30 am. On the Pakistani side, the Dawn newspaper said the Pakistani army "rubbishes reports" of an Indian surgical strike. The Pakistani army said instead that there had "cross-border fire initiated and conducted by India", and that two Pakistani army men had died in the firing. ANI quoted the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as saying, "We condemn this attack, our desire for peace should not be interpreted as our weakness." And that "we are ready for the safety and defence of our country". The Pakistan Army also dismissed India's statements, saying it is a "lie". Indian claim that terrorist launching pad in Pakistan were targeted is lie: Pakistan Army. — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 29, 2016 × Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also refuted India's claim, saying "the notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by India to create false effects". "This quest by Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as surgical strike is fabrication of truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, same will be strongly responded," said the ISPR in a statement, Geo News reported. #ISPR says there was no #surgicalstrike by #India, instead there had been cross border fire initiated by India. pic.twitter.com/bXr7qWo8qz — PTV World (@WorldPTV) September 29, 2016 × Later, ISPR said two of their army personnel were killed in a heavy exchange of firing between India and Pakistan troops along the border. “Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC in Bhimber, Hotspring Kel and Lipa sectors," a statement released by ISPR said. Hours after the attack, India's home minister Rajnath Singh phoned Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and urged him to quickly start evacuating people living in villages that lie within ten kilometres of the international border. Schools and other establishments located close to the border have also been asked to shut down. The Indian state of Punjab is bordered by Pakistan to the west. Punjab: Villages near Attari sector being evacuated after #SurgicalStrike conducted by Indian Army. pic.twitter.com/ma9D7SMCp2 — ANI (@ANI_news) 29 September 2016 × On September 18, eighteen Indian soldiers had died in a terror attack on an army camp in Uri, Kashmir. The attack was blamed on terrorists sent in from Pakistan, and the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi had at the time assured the Indian public that the country would respond at a "time and place of its choosing". Meanwhile, the Indian stock indices fell sharply as news of the strikes broke. The Sensex fell 465 points to 27,955 and the Nifty fell 108 points to 8,637. The Indian rupee also slid 49 paise (intra-day) against the US dollar to trade at 66.95. The Pakistan Stock Exchange also took a 500-point hit after the news broke. (WION)

India conducts surgical strikes in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Pakistan denies

Mehbooba Mufti, chief minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, called for an abrupt end to a press conference in Srinagar at her residence after she was faced with a volley of questions from the media today.&nbsp; 
 
Mufti stood up when she was asked if the government was &quot;sidelining the political issue in Kashmir&quot;. 
 
&ldquo;We are not sidelining the issue of Kashmir. We also want a solution but it has to be peaceful. But some people are hijacking it,&rdquo; she said. 
 
While speaking at the press conference, the chief minister clarified her earlier statement about the percentage of people protesting on the streets. &nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;95 per cent people want peaceful resolution for Kashmir issue but the rest are hijacking it,&rdquo; she said. 
 
The press conference was called by Indian home minister Rajnath Singh. The media was expecting that he would call for its end, but Mufti cut it short. ?Mufti stood up from the dais even while the home minister could be seen sitting. 
 
Adding that she has helped the youth of south Kashmir, the chief minister said,&nbsp;&ldquo;I have saved them from (Special) Task Force, who they were afraid of. They used to take them for bonded labour.&quot; 
 
This is for the first time that a chief minister has acknowledged the STFs &#39;dread&#39; openly.&nbsp;Singh, who appeared calm throughout, made several attempts to cool down the chief minister. 
 
&ldquo;Mehbooba is among you. She belongs to you,&rdquo; he remarked in an attempt to calm her down but, she continued to speak. 
 
The home minister was accompanied by the Indian home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of the interior ministry, who returned to New Delhi after the press conference.&nbsp; 
 
Singh was on a two-day visit to Kashmir which has been witnessing mass protests since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in South Kashmir on July 8. Singh has met with as many as 300 people including political delegations from mainstream parties to take stock of the situation in the Valley.&nbsp; 
 
The home minister&#39;s&nbsp;visit was seen as the first major political outreach by the central government to the state, which has been caught up in violence for the last 47 days.&nbsp; 
 
Singh made an appeal to the people of the state to help maintain law and order and restore peace in the Valley where nearly 70 people have been killed and thousands injured in the ongoing unrest.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

Mufti stood up even while the country's home minister -- who had called the meet -- could be seen sitting.

Mehbooba Mufti, chief minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, called for an abrupt end to a press conference in Srinagar at her residence after she was faced with a volley of questions from the media today. Mufti stood up when she was asked if the government was "sidelining the political issue in Kashmir". “We are not sidelining the issue of Kashmir. We also want a solution but it has to be peaceful. But some people are hijacking it,” she said. While speaking at the press conference, the chief minister clarified her earlier statement about the percentage of people protesting on the streets. “95 per cent people want peaceful resolution for Kashmir issue but the rest are hijacking it,” she said. The press conference was called by Indian home minister Rajnath Singh. The media was expecting that he would call for its end, but Mufti cut it short. ?Mufti stood up from the dais even while the home minister could be seen sitting. Adding that she has helped the youth of south Kashmir, the chief minister said, “I have saved them from (Special) Task Force, who they were afraid of. They used to take them for bonded labour." This is for the first time that a chief minister has acknowledged the STFs 'dread' openly. Singh, who appeared calm throughout, made several attempts to cool down the chief minister. “Mehbooba is among you. She belongs to you,” he remarked in an attempt to calm her down but, she continued to speak. The home minister was accompanied by the Indian home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of the interior ministry, who returned to New Delhi after the press conference. Singh was on a two-day visit to Kashmir which has been witnessing mass protests since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in South Kashmir on July 8. Singh has met with as many as 300 people including political delegations from mainstream parties to take stock of the situation in the Valley. The home minister's visit was seen as the first major political outreach by the central government to the state, which has been caught up in violence for the last 47 days. Singh made an appeal to the people of the state to help maintain law and order and restore peace in the Valley where nearly 70 people have been killed and thousands injured in the ongoing unrest. (WION)

Faced with volley of questions, Jammu and Kashmir CM abruptly ends press meet

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Only PM Modi can resolve Kashmir issue: Mehbooba Mufti

Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief chides Pakistan for 'cool' response to Kashmir ferment

India conducts surgical strikes in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, Pakistan denies

Faced with volley of questions, Jammu and Kashmir CM abruptly ends press meet