New Delhi, June 3 (agency)
The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the central government over the incidents of targeted killings in the Kashmir Valley and asked that instead of “propaganda”, the government should now tell what steps it is taking to restore normalcy and stop the killings. ? Party leader and MP Vivek Tankha said that to restore peace, the government should talk to the concerned parties and take the people of Jammu and Kashmir and political parties into confidence. He told reporters, ‘I am a Kashmiri Pandit. I am sad that there is a lack of efficient political leadership in resolving the Kashmir issue. This is a complex issue. If you have a sensitive face, an inclusive face, then things get under control. Tankha said, “I have said it earlier and am saying even today that the issue of Kashmir is bigger than Article 370 or any law. Have to talk to Peace cannot be brought there without talking to the parties concerned. There does not seem to be any such effort on the part of the government.
He alleged that this government is just spreading propaganda. The Congress leader said, “Jammu and Kashmir has been under governor’s rule for six-seven years. There is a BJP government at the Center for eight years. Now you (government) cannot blame what happened in 60 years? The country wants to ask you, what concrete steps have you taken for Kashmir, where is your white paper regarding Kashmir? I wish the Prime Minister would have tweeted about Kashmir as well.” Tankha said, “We appeal to the central government to take necessary steps to restore normalcy and tell the country about it. Take other parties into confidence. Show condolences to the families of the victims. He said that the families of the victims should be given compensation and instead of spreading false propaganda, concrete steps should be taken. “Necessary steps should be taken within 24 hours to stop the killings,” he insisted. Asked whether separatists were also among the parties concerned with which he was talking about talks, Tankha said, “It is not a matter of discussion here. This government will decide whom to talk to.” Significantly, on Thursday, terrorists shot dead a bank employee in the bank premises in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district. There have been eight cases of targeted killings in the Kashmir Valley since May 1. A teacher hailing from Samba district of Jammu region was killed by terrorists in Kashmir’s Kulgam on Tuesday. At the same time, on May 18, terrorists entered a liquor shop in Baramulla in North Kashmir and hurled a grenade, killing a Jammu resident and injuring three others.
