Srinagar: Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval are set to visit the valley soon, media reports said on Monday. The high level delegation will review the security status of the ongoing Amarnath yatra. It will also review the situation of the valley since the imposition of Governor’s rule in the state.
Reports said they would also review the preparedness to tackle the floods in the Valley. This will be the first visit of the Home Minister ever since the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition.
Earlier, Rajnath Singh while strongly defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his Kashmir policy is correct.
He added that the Kashmir is a ‘very old challenge’ which will take time to resolve and blamed ‘Pakistan-sponsored terrorism’ as one of the major factors hindering peace and development process in the valley.
In an interview to The Week, Singh said that the BJP tried to ‘do its best’ to bring peace to the valley.
The BJP’s pullout consequently forced chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign and Governor’s rule has been imposed in the state.
“No, Modiji’s Kashmir policy is correct. There is no doubt about it. It will take time; as I said, the problem was not born today or yesterday,” he said when asked whether Modi’s Kashmir policy was faltering.
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Singh also said that no comparisons should be drawn between Mehbooba Mufti and her father Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He added that Sayeed was a mature politician however Mehbooba also tried her best.
“But, we should not draw comparisons. She (Mehbooba Mufti) also tried, but it can be a matter of assessment of how successful she has been. The Kashmir problem is a very old one and has been a major challenge for all governments,” he said.
He also defended the Government of India’s decision to halt anti-militancy operations during the month of Ramzan saying that it wasn’t a mistake.
“I don’t think that the ceasefire was a mistake. It was a decision that was taken keeping in mind those people in Kashmir who wanted peace and wanted to celebrate the pious month of Ramzan in its true spirit,” he said.
