Will punish those who burnt schools: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Monday, came down heavily on the incidences of burning of schools by miscreants.

“When everything started moving in Jammu and Kashmir, some miscreants burnt our schools which impacted our education system,” the Chief Minister said.

“In the next one-week government will definitely take some steps to punish those who burned our schools, this is the worst form of terrorism,” she added.

On the larger issue of the young children from the valley getting attracted to militancy, she said, “We are trying to demotivate the children who recently joined militancy and will bring them back to their homes.”

Ms Mufti also stressed on the need to solve the longstanding issues between India and Pakistan. “You can change you friends, but you can't change your neighbours. We have to adopt the ideas of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to tackle Pakistan.”

As many as 32 schools have been targeted by unknown persons since the unrest began in Kashmir on July 8 following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces.

Jammu and Kashmir High Court last week took suo moto cognisance of the incidents and directed the state government to ensure that the schools are protected.