In a comment that could trigger a fresh political row, senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz today said that he would have kept Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani 'alive and held dialogue with him’.
“Mere bas mein hota toh Burhan Wani ko zinda rakhta aur unse dialogue karta (If it was in my hands, I would have kept Burhan Wani alive and held dialogue with him),” the former Union minister said.
The Congress leader’s remark comes a day ahead of Wani’s death anniversary on July 8. Earlier, he had suggested that the government should repeal the contentious AFSPA law from Kashmir. He had even written a letter to PM Narendra Modi in May asking him to establish a chain of dialogue with the Hurriyat Conference to address the Kashmir problem at earliest.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said that it was ‘taking all preventive measures for maintaining law and order across the Valley as it gears up for the first death anniversary of Wani this weekend’.
"Whatever arrangements are required for maintaining law and order and peace would be made. Keeping in view the call of separatists and UJC (United Jehad Council), all the preventive measures that are to be taken in all districts have started in terms of the preventive arrests of the miscreants or to ensure that no unlawful assembly takes place," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Munir Ahmad Khan told reporters.
Elaborate instructions have already been issued to range DIGs, district SPs and district magistrates. Besides specific orders have been issued to the police to not allow breach of peace in any way anywhere in the Valley.
