Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in Kashmir, where more than 30 people have died in clashes with security forces following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Muzaffar Wani.
The meeting, convened by Modi, happened a day after Pakistan summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale, expressing “concerns” over the killings in Kashmir which Islamabad said constituted “human rights violation”.
This prompted the Ministry of External Affairs to state that Pakistan had once again prooved that it sided with terrorists, and that it should “refrain” from interfering in the India’s internal affairs.
“The Secretary-General is closely following the recent clashes in Kashmir. He regrets the reported loss of dozens of lives and the injuries to many others… I think no one is denying that we are concerned about the situation in Kashmir. The fact that the Secretary General did not raise it as he did not raise many other critical situations around the world does not mean that he is brushing anything aside,” Ban’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.
Rajnath calls off visit This led to Home Minister Rajnath Singh cancelling his trip to the US. Singh was to attend the Indo-US Homeland Security Dialogue. He also called for a separate meeting, which was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Finance Minister Arun Jatiley among others.
The Home Minister also sought the opinion of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to arrive at a solution on the matter. He also had an internal meeting with Home Ministry officials and security agencies.
Meanwhile, additional 800 CRPF personnel were dispatched to Kashmir, which continued to reel under massive curfew across the 10 districts throwing normal life upside down.
Mehbooba calls for calm Later in the day, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called for calm. She said: “Feel sad we could not save lives. Let us take our state out of trouble together.”
“I am pained by the killings that occurred here recently. I appeal to the eminent religious leaders and the civil society members to cooperate and help in restoring peace in Kashmir,” Mufti later told Etv Urdu .