Shah rules out talks with Pakistan, pauses his speech for Azan in Baramulla

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday ruled out holding talks with Pakistan and vowed to wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Home Minister halted his speech when Azaan blared out from the minaret of a nearby masjid in Baramulla town, reported Greater Kashmir.

Addressing a massive rally, Shah said terrorism in J&K has claimed 42,000 lives since the 1990s. He, however, also attacked former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti for their family-centric politics over the years.

“Those who ruled for 70 years are saying talk to Pakistan. Why should we talk to Pakistan? We will not talk. We will talk to the people of Baramulla, we will talk to the people of Kashmir,” Amit Shah said.

He accused the ‘Gupkar alliance’ – a political alliance of the erstwhile state’s parties formed by Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to seeks the restoration of Article 370 and statehood – of “laying a red carpet” for Pakistani terrorists into the country.

“Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah built four medical colleges. We have built nine since 2014. We have built one lakh houses since 2014. We have ensured, in the last three years, that all villages in Kashmir (including villages in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) have electricity connection,” Amit Shah said.

However, Mehbooba Mufti claimed that she was put under house arrest for “simply wanting to visit Pattan for a worker’s wedding.” She later said that she was “finally allowed to leave my residence” only because the home minister had headed back to Delhi. Police, however, rejected her claims saying there was no restriction on any kind of travel to Pattan and the picture tweeted by the former CM was of “inside of the gate with its own lock of residents who stay in the bunglow.”

“There is no lock or any restrictions. She is free to travel,” the police said.

She blamed an “overcautious and paranoid security apparatus” in the Union territory for the death of a civilian who, according to officials, was killed in an “accidental fire” in Pulwama, reported Hindustan Times. Asif Ahmad Padroo, 25, was killed on Wednesday when the service weapon of a policeman went off “accidentally” in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

On elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union minister said as soon as the work of compiling the voters’ list is completed, elections will be held with full transparency.

Notably, Shah had his bullet proof glass removed, according to a video shared by Union minister of state Jitendra Singh. – INDIA NEWS STREAM

(With agencies inputs)