Mehbooba Mufti urges India and Pakistan to end acrimony, CM says people in J&K endured violence for 30 years

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said she hoped India and Pakistan will soon move away from acrimony and mistrust to a discourse of peace, harmony and friendship. Addressing a passing-out parade of 911 recruits of Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Subsidiary Training Centre at Talwara in Reasi district, the chief minister said the state’s people had suffered a lot due to acrimony, bitterness and hostilities between the two countries. [caption id=“attachment_4297577” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. PTI[/caption] She said she hoped that better sense prevailed and both countries went back to the days of friendship, amity and reconciliation, as was witnessed when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister. Mehbooba Mufti said the state’s people had also suffered due to violence in the past 30 years. “When we should be providing them with good schools, hospitals and other amenities of modern life, the demand from border areas comes for the construction of bunkers. This situation has to change. The pain and agony of Jammu and Kashmir’s people should be heard,” she said. Asking police to play an active role in furthering reconciliation process in the state, the chief minister asked the officers and jawans of the police to be more humane while enforcing the law. She advised them to assume parenting role more than policing while dealing with law and order situations. Mehbooba Mufti also asked the police to tackle problems like drug menace and crimes against women. She said she will advise setting up of drug de-addiction centres in every district of the state, given the enormity of the problem. The chief minister said her government was sensitive to problems and difficulties of Jammu and Kashmir Police and had already taken many major steps like Kashmir Police Service (KPS) cadre review, enhancement of ex gratia, and increase in promotion quota for constabulary.