“Local militants are sons of the soil, assets”: Mehbooba Mufti

TIL Desk/National/Srinagar/ Terming local militants as “sons of the soil”, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has said that efforts should be made to save them, adding that the Centre should initiate dialogue with the militant leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to end the “gun culture”.

“Right now, talks should be held with Pakistan and separatists. Similarly, the militant leadership should also be talked to, as it is they who have the guns and only they can end the gun culture,” she told reporters in Anantnag after a party function.

“I believe at some stage, talks will have to be held with Hurriyat Conference and militants as well,” she said. The former chief minister, however, said it was “too early (for talks with militants)”. Mehbooba Mufti said local militants should be prevented from walking on the path of violence.

“Right from the time I came into politics in 1996, I have been saying that local militants are sons of the soil and our maximum efforts should be to save them because they are assets. If an encounter breaks out, the two people (militants and security forces) come face to face and no one can do anything about it then,” she said.